Exhibiting the same stunned expression he wore for years on the Illini bench, former Illinois coach Bruce Weber expressed a bit of surprise that he was hired as the next coach of Kansas State.

“Look, I’m as shocked as any of you are,” Weber said to a group of reporters. “I don’t have any business coaching here, but I’m going to get this program down to mid-major level within a couple of years. At least that’s my goal.”

Kansas State Athletic director John Currie offered no explanation as to how the search committee settled on Weber, but a tiny slip-up may have offered an unintentional clue. “We think Coach Self, er, I mean Coach Weber is going to be a great fit in Manhattan. We look forward to getting back to many Final Forty-fours with the new system in place.”

bmoore21