Peoria native joins basketball coaching staff at Southern Illinois
Jerrance Howard is returning to his home state.
The Peoria native and longtime assistant college basketball coach has joined the men's staff at Southern Illinois, the school announced Wednesday.
"I am humbled and blessed to be a part of ... the SIU men's basketball program," Howard said in a social media post. "There are some very special connections with this program that I have. I am beyond excited to be a part of something bigger than me. ... Such a great feeling inside to be back in my home state!"
Background: The evolution of Kansas assistant coach Jerrance Howard
Howard, 42, has 18 years of collegiate coaching experience and is considered one of the nation's top recruiters, named one of college basketball’s “40 under 40” most influential figures by ESPN following the 2019-20 season.
Howard spent a season on staff at Texas and resigned from that role last August. He had joined the staff in Austin in April 2021 after an eight-year run at Kansas.
"Jerrance has an infectious personality and will bring tremendous energy and experience to our staff," SIU head coach Bryan Mullins said in a release. "His winning background will have an immediate impact on our culture and his ability to form relationships and develop players is what separates him from so many coaches."
Under Bill Self at Kansas, Howard helped the Jayhawks to six Big 12 Conference regular-season championships and make seven NCAA Tournament appearances. While Howard was there, Kansas went 222-59, made three trips to the Elite Eight and the 2018 Final Four.
Before Kansas, Howard worked for a season under Larry Brown at SMU. That followed five years (2007-12) as an assistant at his alma mater of Illinois under Self and Bruce Weber, a short stint at Kentucky and three years under Billy Gillespie at Texas A&M from 2004-07.
Background: Texas men’s basketball assistant coach Jerrance Howard leaves Longhorns
"Jerrance has an amazing energy and passion for the game of basketball," said Bruce Weber, former Illinois and Southern Illinois coach. "He is a 'people person' and that characteristic helps in his relationships in recruiting, promoting a university and its basketball program."
Howard starred at Peoria High and went on to become a four-year letter winner at Illinois. He earned his bachelor's degree in speech communication from Illinois in 2004. Howard and his wife, Jessica, have two children, Jerrance Jr. and Jaya.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: College basketball: Jerrance Howard joins coaching staff at Southern Illinois
