Football
Associated Press 17y

KU assistant Jankovich to be head coach at Illinois St.

NORMAL, Ill. -- Kansas assistant Tim Jankovich was hired as
coach of Illinois State on Tuesday, taking over a team that hasn't
reached the NCAA tournament in a decade.

Jankovich replaces Porter Moser, who was fired March 5 after his
teams went 51-67 in four seasons. The Redbirds have had losing
records four of the past seasons.

"In the end, it was his intellect that truly drew us to him as
our final selection," Illinois State athletic director Sheahon
Zenger said at a news conference.

Illinois State was 15-16 this year, losing 68-65 to Indiana
State in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference
tournament.

Jankovich planned to rejoin Kansas as it prepares for an NCAA
regional semifinal game Thursday against Southern Illinois. The
47-year-old coach will stay with Kansas through the tournament.

A native of Gary, Ind., Jankovich said his new job is a good fit
after years of recruiting in the Midwest. He added that he grew up
following former Redbirds star Doug Collins, who went on to play in
the NBA and the Olympics.

"I have to pinch myself on the hour every hour to believe this
is really happening right now," Jankovich said.

Jankovich, 47, takes over a team that hasn't played in the
postseason since the 2001 NIT. Illinois State hasn't been to the
NCAA tournament since back-to-back appearances in 1997 and 1998.

Illinois State returns five of its six leading scorers next
season, including the MVC's top returning scorer, 6-foot-11 Levi
Dyer, and the conference newcomer of the year, freshman Osiris
Eldridge.

"I'm excited about these guys. I think there's a lot of
potential here ... They were a big part of my decision," Jankovich
said.

Players said Tuesday they look forward to working with
Jankovich, who says he plans an uptempo offense and attacking
defense similar to the system at Kansas.

"He's coming from a winning progam and its special to have him
coming in ... He's been with so many winning teams, obviously he
has to know what he's doing," said Dyer, who averaged 12.1 points
and 3.5 rebounds a game last season.

This will be the second Division I head coaching job for
Jankovich, who was 53-57 in four years at North Texas before
resigning in 1997.

Jankovich served a year as an assistant under then-Illini coach
Bill Self before moving to Kansas when Self became the Jayhawks'
coach in 2003. Self called Jankovich "without a question one of
the brightest coaches in the game."

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