As workouts begin, scheduling could take some work for ISU men
NORMAL — It was back to work for Illinois State’s basketball team Tuesday. For the coaching staff, the work of putting together a schedule for the 2012-13 season could take all summer.
The Redbirds began individual workouts Tuesday at Horton North Gym. Teams can hold practice for two hours per week until a week before final exams. A new NCAA rule allows teams to do the same for eight weeks in the summer while players are in classes.
“Right now we really want to teach them the workout we want them to do when we’re not around,” said ISU coach Tim Jankovich, who returned from the Final Four in New Orleans on Sunday. “We want them to get in the habit of a skill-development workout. We will coach it two hours a week (usually in three 40-minute sessions), but we want them to do it far more than those two hours.”
The Redbirds were eager to return to the court after finishing the season two weeks ago with a 92-88 overtime loss at Stanford in a National Invitation Tournament second-round game.
Court never missed a start during his final three seasons at Illinois State, starting 159-consecutive games. During his senior season, the Redbird third baseman hit .323 with a team-best 15 doubles and four triples, to go along with six home runs.
Friedman, who grew up in suburban Deerfield and has two degrees from Illinois, promised to run a “fast-paced athletic department” with the Redbirds. “Things are going to be going on and we're going to make things happen.
Ill.—Illinois State University has picked Gary Friedman (FREED'-man) as its next director of athletics. Friedman has worked as a senior associate athletic director at Louisville for 10 years. WGLT Radio reports that he'll take over the Redbirds
Rounding out the Columbia Regional is Missouri's first round opponent, the Illinois State Redbirds. The Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions finished the regular season at 35-17 overall and 21-5 in league play.