Saluki Sports
Part of the Daily Egyptian
Lowery returns to SIU, replaces Painter
Zack Creglow
zcreglow@dailyegyptian.com
This year, SIU raided Illinois.
SIU Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk will announce former Saluki player and current Illinois assistant coach Chris Lowery as the 12th head coach in SIU history, the Daily Egyptian learned.
Lowery was hired the same day Matt Painter resigned as the head coach at SIU to accept the associate head coach position at Purdue. Kowalczyk filled the vacant coaching position last year in two days.
Incoming Saluki freshman Wesley Clemmons told the Daily Egyptian that Lowery would be named coach today. Two other sources confirmed the hire.
"Yeah, I know," Clemmons said, acknowledging Lowery as the next head coach. "I can't really put a name with the face, but it sounds familiar."
The job came down to a decision between Lowery and current SIU assistant Paul Lusk, once former teammates. Lowery, who played at SIU from 1990 to 1994, served last season as an assistant under Bruce Weber at Illinois. The year prior he coached with Weber at SIU.
Lowery, 31, will be the first black SIU men's basketball head coach and is now the only black men's basketball coach in the Missouri Valley Conference. He joins Lynn Holder (1946-1958) as the only Saluki player who returned to become head coach at SIU.
Darren Brooks, the reigning MVC Player of the Year, said the team is excited to have Lowery return to Carbondale. The Salukis, who went 25-5 under Painter and claimed a third-straight MVC title, figure to undergo little change.
The main concern of many players was whether the structure of the offense or defense would change under a new coach. It appears the only difference from last year's team will be the absence of the 6-foot-6 Painter.
"It is all good now," Brooks said. "Everybody is really happy. He was real energetic and a hard worker."
"It helps a lot that not much will change. It takes a couple of years to learn a new system."
Lowery scored 1,225 in his career as a Saluki. As a player, he played in postseason tournaments every season of his career. SIU went 86-37 during that time.
Fred Huff, the former sports information director at SIU, said he believes the team will maintain its current success under Lowery. Next season will be his first ever as a head coach.
"I have heard a lot of nice things about him," Huff said. "That is an excellent choice. Chris, even though he is physically small, is a tough guy."
"I think he will be a second Matt Painter. I think he will do just the same to follow in the footsteps as Matt did. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And it ain't broke here."
Reporter Adam Soebbing contributed to this story
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