April 18, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head men's basketball coach Tim Jankovich named former ISU, Southeast Missouri State and Saint Louis assistant coach Anthony Beane to the same position Wednesday, becoming the first addition to his staff. Beane will be beginning his second stint at Illinois State, where he assisted under former head coach Tom Richardson for two seasons (2000-02).
Jankovich was impressed with Beane's credentials both as a player and coach.
"I am very excited to have Anthony join our program," said Jankovich. "Success has followed him everywhere he has gone; from his playing days, all the way through his coaching career. He has strong recruiting ties in our area, and brings a very upbeat and exciting personality to our staff.
"Anthony is a guy that has run the gamut in terms of basketball experience. He has been a junior college player, a Big Eight player, a junior college coach, a Division I coach in four different conferences, and a high school head coach in a very talent-rich St. Louis area. His credentials are unmatched, and will be a huge advantage for our program."
Beane was excited about the opportunity to join Jankovich's staff and to return to Bloomington-Normal.
"I am thrilled to be coming back to Illinois State and to be working with Coach Jankovich," said Beane. "I've gotten to know Tim (Jankovich) over the years, and have been really impressed with how he thinks outside of the box and finds innovative ways to make players better. You have to be that way in this day and age, especially in a tough league like the Missouri Valley Conference.
"The other thing that attracted me to this position was the previous time that I spent at Illinois State. Bloomington-Normal was a place that my family and I really enjoyed. I'm just extremely excited about the opportunity to come back."
Beane spent the past year as the athletic director and head boys basketball coach at Soldan International Studies High School in St. Louis.
For the previous four campaigns, he was an assistant coach at Saint Louis University. The Billikens advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in both the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. In its inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2005-06, Saint Louis finished 16-13 overall and tied for third in the league race with a 10-6 mark.
Beane was a part of two winning campaigns (2000-01 and 2001-02) with the Redbirds, including ISU's last postseason appearance, when it advanced to the NIT following the 2001-02 season. The `Birds have tallied just three winning seasons in the past nine years.
Prior to his two-years at ISU, Beane broke into the Division I coaching ranks with a three-year stint at Southeast Missouri State. He helped the Indians to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 24-9 mark and trip to the NCAA Tournament following the 1998-99 campaign.
Beane's coaching start came in the junior college ranks. He spent the 1996 season as an assistant coach at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kan., before moving to West Plains in Springfield, Mo., for the following campaign. He coached both teams to 20-win seasons before joining the SEMO staff in August of 1997.
As a player, Beane played one season at Three Rivers Community College where he garnered all-America honors and led the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship in 1991. From there, he moved on to Kansas State, where he played for current Creighton coach Dana Altman. At K-State, he made an immediate impact. He was named the 1992 Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year and was twice named to the all-conference team.
Beane and his wife, Katina, are the parents of two boys, Anthony Jr., age 12, and Darius, age 7.
