Whelp, the names for new assistant coaches at Illinois keep piling up, and none of them are Jerrance Howard. There is still room for at least one more, but Howard isn’t likely to be on the list. As long as we don’t lose him to Kansas, I might be talked down from the ledge.

On that note, let’s meet the new guys who will be replacing Jay Price and Wayne McClain, and will be tasked with assisting John Groce in taking the Illini on the next step toward greatness (if I write it, then it shall be true).

Dustin Ford and Jamall Walker are the new hires, both of which hung out with Groce at Ohio University.

“I’m pleased to add Dustin and Jamall to our staff,” Groce said. “These two coaches were with me at Ohio and will bring stability, continuity and knowledge of how we want to run the program here at the University of Illinois. Dustin has tremendous experience coaching forwards and posts, and Jamal excels at developing guards. They are well rounded in every aspect of coaching at this level including recruiting, scouting and player development.”

Ford was with Groce at Ohio from 2009-12, where he specialized in working with the frontcourt. Too bad Meyers Leonard won’t be around to be developed. Before that, Ford served three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on Larry Hunter’s staff at Western Carolina from 2006-08 and was promoted to associate head coach in the spring of 2008. During his tenure at Western Carolina, he was responsible for recruiting two eventual Southern Conference Defensive Players of the Year in Brigham Waginger (2010) and Richie Gordon (2011) and a SoCon Freshman of the Year in Harouna Mutombo (2009).

Ford played the game himself at Ohio from 1998-01, and led the Bobcats in 3-point field goals as a junior and senior. Ford’s 166 career 3-pointers and 310 career assists currently rank seventh and eighth, respectively, in Ohio school history. Ford’s brother Geno is the head coach at Bradley.   He and his wife, Marcie, have a son, Max, and daughter, Abbie.

Jamall Walker was part of Groce’s original Ohio staff during the 2009 season. After serving as Director of Basketball Operations for Sean Miller at Arizona in 2010, Walker returned to Athens to assist Groce from 2011-12. His specialty is working with guards, and Walker mentored D.J. Cooper, a two-time first-team All-MAC selection and 2012 MAC Tournament MVP (also rumored to be transferring to Illinois if it can pan out).

Before arriving at Ohio, Walker spent one year as an assistant coach at Murray State in 2008, preceded by a one-year stint as anassistant at St. Louis in 2007.

Walker entered the Division I coaching ranks at Ball State, where he was an assistant and recruiting coordinator for two years from 2005-06. During his time in Muncie, Walker played a key role in recruiting Chicagoland guard Maurice Acker, the 2006 MAC Freshman of the Year.

Walker played point guard at Saint Louis for four years from 1996-99, helping lead the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in 1998. He earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team recognition in 1996 and ranks seventh in St. Louis school history with 350 career assists. Walker and his wife, Rebekah, have a daughter, JaShawn.

I like that Groce is loyal to the guys he knows and loves, but I hope they have what it takes to recruit in what “sources” keep calling one of the most difficult badlands around: Chicago. It was pretty clear that Mike Thomas took a page from my book of “Keep Jerrance Around at All Costs,” but that book is closing quickly.

We shall see Illini fans, we shall see. Oh, and welcome to Champaign, new guys!

New Illini men's basketball head coach John Groce

The press conference actually happened, and as of 1pm today the drama is over and the Fighting Illini have a brand-new head coach for the men’s basketball team: John Groce.

You could tell that AD Mike Thomas was also relieved at the press conference, and he had a much more jovial vibe than yesterday during the introduction of women’s coach Matt Bollant. Thomas cracked a nice little joke that he will only hire coaches with less hair than he has (40-year-old Groce has no hair, Bollant’s is going quickly).

The Assembly Hall had the band playing and was set up more like a concert or political rally than a presser when Groce arrived with his lovely wife Allison and sons Camden and Connor. Allison was sporting the cutest orange dress on the planet, and I wonder if she had that in her wardrobe or did some quick shopping at Marketplace Mall. Groce had a nice orange and blue striped tie, and soon after taking the stage Thomas handed him an Illini baseball cap.

I can’t say Groce has the same energy level as someone like Tim Beckman, but he was clearly excited and said all the right things. He referenced the 1989 Flying Illini and the half-court shot by Nick Anderson to beat the Hoosiers. To quote @jjhparker, “He had me at Flying Illini.” Groce grew up between Danville and Indianapolis, and admitted growing up a Hoosier. He also said he’s a Big Ten guy, and that this was the first and only job he considered taking. That’s the perfect thing to say to us wounded fans who fear our program isn’t as attractive as we thought.

Also during the presser, Groce got a little teary as he introduced his parents. That kind of true emotion is a beautiful thing. I’m not afraid of a man who might cry, as long as it is for the right reasons. Then, as the questions came his way, Groce stayed poised and said all the right things. He isn’t afraid to recruit in Chicago, and mentioned he worked with Evan Turner. Someone “went there” and asked how he felt about people who are skeptical due to his conference record. He said he’s a glass half full kind of guy and optimistic about what’s up next. As for whether he’s going to talk to Meyers Leonard about staying, he said he’s going to talk to ALL the guys and looks forward to getting to know them.

My one fear? Jerrance Howard didn’t seem to be a priority. I know Groce can’t comment on the details of anything, but I would’ve liked some reassurance that they’re going to do all they can to get Howard to stay. Thomas did comment at the start of the presser that Howard has done a great job so far, so maybe that was the effort to give him a shoutout? Sounds like Groce wants to bring in his guys, which is fine, but we NEED Howard to continue to get those Chicago guys. Also, though he said the right things, Groce did look just a wee bit uncomfortable at times. But then again, who wouldn’t?

The whole Groce fam. Check out Allison's dress!

Aside from that small blip, Groce did a great job. I’m excited to have a coach and can’t wait until the season starts in November. Thomas and Groce stressed that there were no snafus in the process, and there was never a presser scheduled for Tuesday, so perhaps we’ll never know the whole truth. Final deal: $1.4 million over 5 years.

What Groce had to say: “I am thrilled to be the basketball coach here and feel like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our family. The Midwest background and values we share makes the University of Illinois a perfect for us and we’re looking forward to making an impact on the basketball court as well as in the Champaign-Urbana community.”

The Scoop on Groce from the official release:

• Four seasons as HC of Ohio University with overall record of 85-56
• Mid-American Conference Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012.
• Ohio went to the Sweet 16 this year after beating No. 4 Michigan and No. 12 South Florida, and then lost in overtime to No. 1 UNC.
• This year was the second time in Ohio’s school history and first since 1964 that the Bobcats won multiple games in the NCAA Tournament.
• Ohio was ranked second nationally in turnover percentage and third in steals percentage.
• With wins in 2010 and 2012 Tourneys, Ohio became just the sixth school ever to win Tournament games as both a 13 and 14 seed.
• 19 years experience coaching, and his teams have made 16 postseason appearances.
• His overall coaching record is 434-212.
• Spent four seasons with Thad Matta at OSU from 2005-2008.
• Groce played a key role in recruiting many of the top players at Ohio State and was named Rivals.com’s 2006 National Recruiter of the Year.
• From 2002-2004 was on Matta’s staff at Xavier.
• Assisted at Butler from 2000-2001.
• First D1 Coaching job under Herb Sendek at North Carolina State from 1997-2000.
• Started coaching career as an assistant at Taylor University in Upland, Ind.
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Taylor in 1994.