Illinois Adds Former UNLV Coach Kevin Kruger to Staff

Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood has added Kevin Kruger to his coaching staff as Assistant to the Head Coach for the 2025-26 season. Kruger, son of former Illinois head coach Lon Kruger, returns to Champaign where he played high school basketball and has deep family ties to the program. He spent the past six seasons coaching at UNLV, including four years as head coach, where he led the team to four consecutive winning seasons and a notable 21-win season with an NIT quarterfinals appearance in 2023-24. Prior to UNLV, Kruger served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma under his father and also held assistant positions at Northern Arizona. Underwood praised Kruger as a proven winner whose extensive experience as a player, assistant, and head coach will be invaluable to the Illini program. Kruger expressed gratitude for the opportunity to return to a place special to his family and contribute to a first-class program competing at the highest level.