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New Illinois AD Whitman Faces Challenges; Work To Be Done To Regain Stability

Newly hired Univ. of Illinois AD Josh Whitman will "begin his tenure March 21," and he faces multiple challenges, "starting with an eroding fan base for football and men's basketball," according to Bob Asmussen of the Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE. Whitman's hiring "ends a protracted search following the firing of Mike Thomas in November." Whitman, who was formally introduced this morning, was "interviewed in Indianapolis" by the UI AD search committee. Sources said that Whitman "scored big during the interview process." UI interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said that both of Whitman's previous stops at D-III schools Wisconsin-La Crosse and Washington Univ. in St. Louis "saw outstanding achievements -- on and off the athletic venues -- matched with improvements in facilities, increased fundraising activity and strategic organizational changes that positioned his programs for successful futures." UI President Tim Killeen said that he was "impressed with Whitman in a meeting with him by Whitman's integrity, experience and vision for the future." Meanwhile, Whitman's law degree "might come in handy as the school remains the subject" of a $10M lawsuit from former members of the women's basketball program (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 2/18).

YOUTHFUL ENERGY: Killeen said of Whitman, "He's got everything -- all of the right impulses, a deep understanding of the Illini programs and recognition of some of the challenges to come." Killeen said he was kept informed "all along the way" as the search unfolded. Killeen: "I know it took awhile to unfold, but it was done in a very fair fashion." In Champaign, Julie Wurth notes Killeen would not "say how many finalists were considered or disclose any other details of the process." But he said a lot of the "commentary in the news media was not right" (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 2/18). ESPN.com's Brian Bennett wrote UI's "protracted, often messy three-month search ... didn't inspire a lot of confidence." But all that "matters in the end" is that the school has a "new leader" for its sports programs. Maybe Whitman is "not the slam-dunk choice" that Colorado AD Rick George would have been, "but one can't blame George for not wanting to leave a more stable situation to move to his alma mater." Instead, UI "wound up hiring a person whom many consider a rising star in college athletics." Whitman's "youthful energy could come in handy because he has a lot of work cut out for him" (ESPN.com, 2/17).

RIGHT FOR THE JOB?: In Champaign, Loren Tate writes it is a "monster job, but Whitman is not too young for it." He will "face a stampede of problems," but he "has remarkably strong backing among those who know him." Former UI AD Ron Guenther said, "Josh was always more mature than his age. He worked full time for us when he was finishing law school here. He is bright and a tireless worker" (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 2/18). In Chicago, Rick Morrissey writes Whitman "might be the right person to turn around what has become a mess of an athletic program." But the fact that he is coming from two D-III schools "doesn’t exactly stir the blood." Whitman's hiring is "more a reflection of Illinois' sad status than it is his ability to do the job." Morrissey: "When you choose a Division III athletic director out of a shallow, luke-warm pool, it's proof that your school is in as bad shape as it looks" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/18). Also in Chicago, David Haugh writes Whitman's "lack of experience raised immediate questions" about an administrator jumping from Washington Univ. -- where the athletic budget was $7M -- to a Big Ten institution such as UI, which spent $74.4M in FY '15. Those concerns "are valid but, on the other hand, consider Illinois finally showed self-awareness often in short supply to make the best of a bad situation." Haugh: "Perhaps hiring a bright up-and-comer such as Whitman suggests the university understands what it is -- and what it isn't -- as its upcoming period of renewal begins" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/18).

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