NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head men's basketball coach Dan Muller has announced that Tony Wills has been hired and John Putyrski promoted for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Wills has been hired to fill the role of Director of Player Personnel and Video, while Putyrski has been elevated to the position of Director of Basketball Operations.
"To say I'm excited to bring Tony Wills back home would be an understatement," said Muller. "Tony exemplifies what Illinois State basketball is, and I know he is going to be a great help to our staff and players as he continues his professional journey. Welcome home T-Wills!"
Putyrski, the former Director of Player Personnel and Video, is in his third season on the support staff at Illinois State, in addition to spending five seasons with ISU as a student-manager from 2011-2016. Prior to re-joining the Redbirds in 2019 he was an assistant coach at Eastern Florida State College, helping the Titans to a 28-8 overall record and a berth into the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament.
"I'm very excited and grateful to continue to expand my role within the program and to help teach and develop our guys on and off the court," said Putyrski. "I'm just as excited to work with Tony again and to welcome my good friend back home to Illinois State."
The 2016 Illinois State graduate also spent two seasons at Chattanooga as a graduate assistant under head coaches Lamont Paris and Matt McCall and graduated in 2018 with a master's degree in public administration.
Former Redbird standout Wills has most recently completed his role as a graduate assistant coach at Southern Illinois. In two years in Carbondale, the Salukis had a record of 28-30.
"I'm super-excited to be back at this place I call home," said Wills. "The community, the fan base, the atmosphere, and the support here is unbelievable. I can't wait to get the guys back on campus so we can open workouts and continue to build a winning culture. I especially want to thank Coach Muller for giving me this opportunity and I can't wait to get started working with the staff and players."
A standout defensive player with the Redbirds, he played in 132 games with 71 starts and had a four-year record of 86-50 including a 28-7 mark during the 2016-17 season. He scored 649 career points and had 118 steals and 46 blocked shots over his four years in Redbird Arena, as he was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team in 2016-17.
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