NORMAL, Ill. – After serving as the Illinois State men's basketball team's video coordinator for two years, Will Veasley has been promoted to director of basketball operations, and Spencer Johnson has been hired as the program's video coordinator, ISU head coach Dan Muller announced Wednesday.
"Will has done a great job the past two years as video coordinator and certainly deserves this promotion and added responsibility," Muller said. "We are fortunate to have him in our program."
Veasley, who holds a degree in digital media production, played collegiately at Butler and professionally for two years, before transitioning into coaching. As a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs, Veasley helped Butler make four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 2010. After playing two years of professional basketball, Veasley spent one season as IUPUI's video coordinator before joining Illinois State in July of 2013.
"First off, I'd like to thank Coach Muller for this promotion and having the confidence in me to move into this new position," Veasley said. "With this new job comes added responsibility, and I'm excited to take on an expanded role and help continue to make the program successful in any way I'm needed."
Meanwhile, Johnson served as a graduate assistant with the University of Missouri-Kansas City men's basketball team for two years, from 2013-15, where he was responsible for video coordinating and editing. Johnson also gained coaching and program operations experience at UMKC.                                                        Â
"When hiring people there are certain things that I look for: integrity, hard worker, toughness, intelligence and being a great teammate," Muller said. "Spencer worked with a terrific coach, Kareem Richardson, the past two years, and from all accounts, he is all of these things. We are glad Spencer has joined our program, and I look forward to helping him to continue to grow in our profession."
A 2012 graduate of UMKC, Johnson is the program's all-time leader in rebounds (710) and games played (121) during his basketball career from 2007-11. An honorable mention All-Summit League pick, Johnson recorded a UMKC single-season record 283 rebounds as a senior, averaging 9.4 rebounds per game to rank second in school history. He also recorded 21 rebounds in a game versus North Dakota State that year, the second-highest total in school history.
"I am very excited and thankful for this tremendous opportunity that Coach Muller has given me," Johnson said. "The game of basketball has always been a passion of mine, and I'm grateful to be able to take this next step within my coaching career."
A Champaign, Illinois, native and graduate of Champaign Central High School, Johnson played two years of professional basketball in Europe following his collegiate career. He went on to earn his master's degree from UMKC in June of 2015.
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