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Illini volleyball rides whirlwind

Posted by: Jeff Huth

Monday, December 1, 2008 12:03 PM

It was a whirlwind 13 or so hours for the Illini volleyball team, which learned late Sunday night that it would be hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Then, at mid-morning Monday, the announcement arrived that coach Don Hardin would retire at the end of the season.
Neither development was a shocker.
Through a combination of a strong schedule and a torrid finish (14-3) to the regular season, the No. 14 Illini had built a strong argument for being one of the 16 schools picked to host first- and second-round games.
And speculation had been building even before the start of the season that this would be Hardin's final year at the Illinois helm. Hardin acknowledged his impending retirement was hardly a well-kept secret in this quote from the UI's press release Monday: "This announcement comes as no surprise to our players, recruits, staff or those close to our volleyball network."
It's fitting that Hardin - who devoted 18 years to coaching Illini volleyball, including 13 as head coach - will be able to receive a final sendoff from the Huff Hall crowds this weekend. Hardin has often spoken of what a special place it occupies in his heart, primarily because of Illini fans.
Don't be surprised, however, if Hardin still is busy with his current job after this weekend. The ninth-seeded Illini will be favored on Friday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the next night against the winner of Friday's Cincinnati-Western Kentucky match. History favors Illinois in this particular setting, too. The Illini are 16-3 all time in home NCAA tournament matches.
Whether the Illini advance beyond the third round is another question. The survivor of Saturday's match at Huff Hall gets a ticket to the regional in State College, Pa., where No. 1 seeded and undefeated Penn State undoubtedly will await. Eighth-seeded California also is a good bet to make it State College the weekend of Dec. 12-13.
Then again, as hot as Illinois has been over the last two months, Hardin might be forced to delay his retirement even longer.
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We took special note of this line in the press release on Hardin's retirement: "A national search will begin to fill the vacant position."
As a public institution, the UI is obligated to advertise job openings, so it is following that necessary protocol. But we would be stunned if Hardin's successor isn't current UI assistant Kevin Hambly. While interviewing Illini recruits, we heard several refer to looking forward to playing for Hambly when they arrive in Champaign.
With five years experience on the UI staff and a record of landing nationally-ranked recruiting classes, Hambly has the background and credentials to make this a smooth transition. It's been clear for a while that Hardin was grooming Hambly to take the program's reins when he left.
And Hambly's background with USA Volleyball before joining Hardin's staff attests to the high regard his coaching and teaching abilities are held at the highest level of the sport.
As unsurprising as Hardin's retirement announcement was, it would be a shocker if UI athletic director Ron Guenther went off campus to hire Hardin's successor.
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On a purely personal note, it was neat to learn that Illinois would face Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the first round. I'm a proud graduate of what folks in the Beer City call UWM. We're guessing it was welcome news, too for one of Hardin's staffers. Volunteer assistant coach Melissa David not only played her college ball at UWM, but faced her hometown Illini (she's a Champaign Central grad) in Huff Hall during the 2006 State Farm Illini Classic.
During my time at The News-Gazette, my alma mater and Illinois have squared off several times in several sports. Glad to see it happen again.