No. 5 Dan Muller
The Illinois basketball team needs someone who knows the state of Illinois well and getting a coach that is at one of the state schools is one way of going about accomplishing that goal.
The Good
Muller has a decent record while with Illinois State. He started with the program five seasons ago and he had to deal with multiple players departing for other programs. But, despite departing players he has managed to keep the program afloat.
This season Muller has the Redbirds sitting at 27 wins this season and potentially getting into the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid. That is an impressive feat that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Muller has also had some success recruiting the state as well. The class of 2013 consisted of two players, one from Proviso East and the other from Normal Community High School. Having connections with these schools, among others, is important.
The Bad
While I like Muller as a coach, he still hasn’t proved much in the way of winning meaningful games. He has only been a head coach for five seasons and he hasn’t made the NCAA tournament unless he sneaks in this year.
Getting a coach into the program who hasn’t won might hurt in recruiting and he might not win at Illinois. That is a major risk to take with Muller.