Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman and men's basketball head coach John Groce address the program at a joint press conference on March 24, 2016. 

"I have great confidence and trust in John and his staff," Whitman said of Groce. "John brings a tremendous energy, a strong vision for the program. I think he's an excellent treacher, strong communicator. I think he's a good recruiter. He develops strong relationships with our student-athletes. They understand that he cares about them as people. It gives me great confidence that we'll be able to build this going forwad into the program the we can all be proud of."

"We're committed to doing it the right way," Groce said. "We're committed to buidling a championship caliber program and having a culture where our guys grow while they're here."