Muller wins IBCA Coach of the Year award

Posted on April 3, 2015

ISU head basketball coach Dan Muller yells to his players on the court during Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, home opener against UC Santa Barbara at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois. (B Corbin/WJBC)

By ISU Sports Information

BEDFORD PARK – Illinois State head men’s basketball coach Dan Muller is the 2015 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) NCAA Division I Coach of the Year.

In his third season, Muller led the 2014-15 Redbirds to a 22-13 overall record, marking ISU’s most victories since 2009-10. Illinois State tied for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-7 mark, also signifying ISU’s most league wins since 2009-10.

As the MVC Tournament’s fourth seed, the Redbirds upset No. 8 Wichita State in the semifinals, marking a Redbird win over ISU’s highest nationally-ranked opponent since 1978. Illinois State also became just the second MVC team to beat Wichita State in more than two years.

After falling to No. 11 Northern Iowa in the tournament championship game, the Redbirds earned an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament for the 13th time in program history. Fourth-seeded ISU advanced to the NIT second round by beating fifth-seeded Green Bay at home (Mar. 18).

Along with Illinois State’s team success, ISU earned nine individual MVC honors under Muller’s guidance in 2014-15. The Redbirds also excelled in the classroom, establishing a team grade-point average record in the fall of 2014 with a 2.99 GPA, breaking the previous mark by 0.13 points.

Throughout his first three seasons, Muller has led the Redbirds to a 58-44 record, including three wins over Top-25 programs, plus victories against the Big Ten, the BIG EAST and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), along with three postseason wins. He is the first coach in Illinois State history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.

All of the IBCA’s Coach of the Year selections will be honored at the 43rd annual IBCA Hall of Fame Banquet scheduled for May 2 at ISU’s Bone Student Center.

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