By Tom Gilbert
KStateSports.com
(Original Story)
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber announced the hiring of former Southern Illinois player and assistant coach Brad Korn as the program’s director of operations on Tuesday.
Korn is the third member of the Weber’s initial coaching staff at K-State, which includes assistant coaches Chris Lowery and Alvin Brooks III.
“Brad is terrific young coach and a great addition to the staff,” said Weber. “Brad played for Matt Painter and me at Southern Illinois and then got his start in coaching as an assistant to Chris (Lowery),” said Weber. “He was part of one of the winningest senior classes in SIU history, winning 93 games and advancing to three straight NCAA Tournaments. He has really worked his way up the coaching ranks. This experience will be pivotal in handling all the various administrative roles for the program.”
Much like Lowery, Korn has ties to Weber after playing his first four years (1999-2003) for him at Southern Illinois. He redshirted his first season in 1999-2000 before playing the next three years for Weber. He concluded his playing career for current Purdue head coach Matt Painter in 2003-04 before spending the next eight years (2004-12) as an assistant coach for Lowery at SIU.
Korn arrives at K-State after an eight-year stint at Southern Illinois (2004-12), including the last six years as a full-time assistant for Chris Lowery. He helped the Salukis post a 145-116 (.556) overall record with four postseason appearances, two Missouri Valley Conference Championships and one State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. The squad won 20 or more games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on three occasions (2005, 2006, 2007) during his tenure as an assistant coach, including a 2007 trip to the Sweet 16. He was a graduate assistant at SIU his first two years before being elevated to a full-time assistant coach on Jan. 31, 2006.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to join the staff at K-State,” said Korn. “I have known Coach Weber since I was 16, so nearly half my life,” said Korn. “He has been a big influence in my life and I’m excited about this opportunity to work for him for the first time. He’s the same, genuine person that I met in 1998 and I can’t wait to help him in this next chapter of his coaching life. I want to do all I can to make sure he and the other coaches have all they need to make K-State has successful as possible.”
A native of Plano, Ill., Korn helped the Salukis through one of their greatest periods of success from 1999 to 2004. The squad went from 16 wins his redshirt freshman season to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under Weber and Painter. He was also a part of three Missouri Valley regular season Championships as a player.
The 6-foot-9 forward saw action in 121 games in his career, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. As a senior, he averaged 9.7 points on 41 percent shooting with 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in helping SIU to 25 wins and a 17-1 mark in MVC play. He was named to the league’s Most Improved Team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the university in 2004, while he earned credits towards a Master’s in Sports Studies.
Korn, 30, and wife, Kristin, have a daughter, Brielyn.