NORMAL – It’s been an unusual two days for the program, but in the end, Illinois State will have a new head men’s basketball coach immediately.
Dan Muller will not finish the season as the Redbirds’ head coach after being informed he would be let go at the end of the season by athletic director Kyle Brennan this week. Initially, he was going to coach out the rest of the season, but changed his mind.
“After an emotional day yesterday, and more time to talk to my players about this difficult situation, I have decided to step away and not coach this team the rest of the season,” said Muller in a statement through the school. “I completely understand that playing for a coach that has been fired could be very difficult, and I do not want to be a distraction to my players.”
Assistant coach Brian Jones will be the team’s interim head coach for the final five regular season games and whatever contests Illinois State might take part in during the Missouri Valley Conference tournament..
This move comes as the Redbirds are headed towards a fifth-straight year without a postseason appearance of any kind. They’re currently 11-15 overall and 4-9 in The Valley and would have to win the conference tournament to make the postseason.
A former Illinois State player who helped the Redbirds to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998, Muller had a 167-150 record during his nearly ten full seasons in Normal with an 89-86 record in The Valley. The Redbirds won a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title in the 2016-2017 season, making the NIT twice and the CBI once.
But the program was never able to reach the NCAA Tournament in Muller’s tenure, making MVC Tournament Championship Game three times in 2015, 2017, and 2018 but losing every time.
Jones takes over after serving as an assistant for Muller over the past three seasons which was preceded by his 13-year run as head coach at North Dakota.