Jack Piatt
Daily Egyptian
One might think that a coach who has experienced the magnitude of success that Bruce Weber has this past season would be vacationing somewhere far away and taking a break from the intense schedule of a Division I basketball program.
The truth is that Weber's schedule is just as hectic now as it was this past season, and it is moving rapidly from busy to just plain swamped.
The newfound fame of the Saluki basketball team and its amiable head coach brings with it longer days at the office, more phone calls and more interviews.
Newspaper and magazine articles, press conferences and televisions shows are now in big demand, and Weber has to find a way to fit it all into an already tight schedule.
The main focus of Weber's job during the off-season is split between recruiting and scheduling.
These are the things that any coach without the demands of the media has to worry about, along with conditioning time and summer basketball camps.
Weber said scheduling is the biggest headache, even with the help of his assistants.
Despite his schedule, Weber sets up meetings with his players to discuss their summer classes and anything else that is going on in their lives.
July is the big month for recruiting. The coaching staff has 20 more days on the road traveling to various tournaments to recruit standout talent. The coaches will travel to tournaments in Orlando, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Chicago.
"We become road warriors in July," Weber said.
When he is not on the road, he and his staff are on the phones recruiting prospective high school juniors with the potential to be future Salukis.
Weber is no stranger to working hard for a basketball program. As a former assistant coach at Purdue, he knows what a busy schedule is all about.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Weber grew up with two sisters and two brothers. He played basketball and baseball at Marshall High School in Milwaukee and graduated at the age of 17.
Weber could have played college baseball or basketball at a smaller college, but they would have only paid a portion of his tuition.
Instead he decided to go to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he hoped to play baseball and walk on to the basketball team.
When he arrived, the school had dropped the baseball program and stepped up to Division I basketball, so he decided to focus on college instead.
Growing up, Weber always dreamt of being a professional baseball or basketball player.
"But dad had made a decision that the kids would all be teachers and coaches," Weber said. "He thought that was a great occupation."
Both of his brothers became coaches, and his sisters chose the teaching field.
Weber majored in elementary education because he loved working with children, and there were more jobs in that field.
He spent a large part of his time in college running summer leagues for basketball and as an assistant high school coach in Milwaukee. He spent a year teaching after college then decided to further his education.
"On a whim, I decided to get my master's degree," Weber said.
That whim landed him at Western Kentucky University as a graduate assistant for head basketball coach Gene Keady.
"I had applied to almost every grad school in the country," Weber said. "I lucked out with the assistant coach position at Western Kentucky."
Keady's former assistant had taken a job at Milwaukee-Wisconsin, leaving an opening at Western Kentucky.
Weber knew someone who contacted Keady and set up an interview. It was August, and Weber had already been accepted into the physical education graduate program so the timing was perfect.
"The first day I got there, my younger sister was killed in a car accident," Weber said. "I was only there a half of a day. Then I had to head back home."
When he returned to Bowling Green, Ky., Weber found out he had been hired as Keady's graduate assistant, only making $2,000 his first year.
The next year, Keady took the head coaching job at Purdue University.
Keady wanted someone he knew to go with him, so Weber became an assistant coach at Purdue.
At the age of 23, Weber was the youngest assistant coach in the Big Ten and remained the youngest for several years.
His first year at Purdue was tough financially, with Weber earning only $4,000.
"I had one lamp, a card table and a little black and white TV," Weber said. "I took the lamp from the living room to the bedroom when I went to bed. I never turned on the heat or air conditioning the whole time I was there."
Weber spent 18 years at Purdue before taking the head coaching job here at SIU.
Upon arriving in Carbondale, there were many obstacles to overcome. The public had lost interest in the program, and the program itself seemed to lack energy.
"We had to revitalize the program," Weber said. "It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be."
Not only does he have an important job with many demands, he also has a family of five that needs his time. He said he wishes he had more time to devote to his family. Weber and his wife Megan have three daughters: Hannah, Christy and Emily.
He met his wife during his last year of college in Milwaukee while she was finishing nursing school. Before their first child was born, his wife supported them with help from his family while he struggled on minimal salaries his first few years of coaching.
Weber's goal is to maintain the success the Salukis have experienced and to return to the NCAA tournament. He would also like to see the attendance rise at home and away games.
To create success for a mid-major team, Weber said you have to believe you are not just another small school.
"We treat the players like they are big time," Weber said. "We've always tried to treat this like a first-class program."
Starting guard Kent Williams said Weber approaches coaching like a professor.
"He's not too strict off the court, and his attitude allows us to relax," Williams said. "He's always having a good time."
For fans who worry about Weber moving on to a bigger program, there is some hope for the future.
Weber said he has had many chances to leave for much more money. The thing that is most important to him is coaching at a program that can win.
He feels good about this community, and hopes to keep the program running.
"I like it here, and I'm happy," Weber said. "As long as we keep getting the support of the administration and the fans, it would be tough to leave SIU."
Reporter Jack Piatt can be reached at jpiatt@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
