It hasn't even been formally announced yet that Bruce Weber is not going to last any longer than today as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Illinois, but some names are already coming to the surface to replace him all the same. David Kaplan has his short list and it includes some familiar names to coaching rumors (i.e. Shaka Smart) but it also has a local coach on the list that should raise some eyebrows: Kansas State's Frank Martin.
Specifically, Kaplan's Twitter post reads as follows: "Bruce Weber out at Illinois. Names I am hearing include Frank Martin (K-State), Shaka Smart, Anthony Grant (Alabama), Brad Stevens". Martin is the first name on his the Chicago sportswriters' list, which doesn't necessarily mean anything but it could signal just how obvious of a candidate he will be for one of several high profile jobs to come open around this time of year.
Martin has been the head coach at K-State since 2007 after serving as an assistant for an additional year. He's had more than 21 wins every season since he started and he won the Big 12 Coach of the Year Award in 2010.