WEBER REPLACES HERRIN AT SIU

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois named longtime Purdue assistant Bruce Weber head basketball coach Wednesday, one month after the school asked former coach Rich Herrin to resign.

Weber, 41, plans to make recruiting a top priority, putting to good use his solid image in Indiana and experience trolling for players in East St. Louis and Chicago.

"In fact, I tried to make some calls on the way down," he said.

Weber, who coached at Purdue for 18 years, takes over a program that has not had a winning record since 1994-95, when the Salukis went 23-9 and appeared in the NCAA tournament. The drought also has resulted in dwindling attendance - one of the reasons Herrin was asked to resign.

But Weber said he believes the Salukis have the necessary ingredients to recapture the glory days of 1989 to 1995, when the school made seven straight postseason appearances.

"When you have some tradition, I think you can always get back to that point," he said.

Weber hopes to bring some new players into the program for next season. He said the team needs a strong point guard to handle the up-tempo scheme he would like to run at SIU.

He also promised a dedicated, defensive and disciplined team - echoing some of the attributes Athletic Director Jim Hart mentioned last month when asked about what kind of person he wanted to lead the team.

"I think we found just the person to lead us in that direction," Hart said Wednesday.

Weber said he expects to make inroads recruiting for SIU, something the Salukis have lacked recently.

Purdue has attracted players from most parts of Illinois, and Weber said his good reputation in Indiana and western Kentucky will also help SIU get recruits in those regions, as well.

Weber began his college coaching career in 1980 as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky under current Purdue coach Gene Keady. Last year, he was one of four finalist to fill the coaching vacancy at Southeast Missouri State University, which was eventually filled by Gary Garner.

Weber's appointment is effective immediately. He expects to split his time between Carbodnale and West Lafayette until August, when he plans to move his wife and three daughters.

Herrin, who resigned after 13 seasons, remains on the school's payroll as a consultant to the athletic department through October. He has not made any announcement about his plans after that.