Illinois’ Bruce Weber fired

FILE - In this March 8, 2012 file photo, Illinois head coach Bruce Weber reacts in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis. A person familiar with the decision says Weber has been fired after nine seasons. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday, March 9, 2012, on condition of anonymity because the move hasn't been announced. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Illinois fired Bruce Weber Friday, letting go of a fiery coach whose first three years with the Illini included a run to the national championship game before a long, lackluster slide the past six years that concluded with a 17-15 mark this season.
“Bruce is everything you’d want as a coach,” athletic director Mike Thomas said at a news conference that Weber did not attend. “We had great success here but in the last four or five years, I don’t know if you want to say (that) we’re running in place, or maybe even digressed.”
Thomas, who in his first year on the job also has fired football coach Ron Zook and women’s basketball coach Jolette Law, said fans expect the Illini to be “a factor” in the Big Ten and the “national conscience” each season.
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