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Illinois makes hiring of former Illinois State assistant Paris Parham official

parham

It didn’t take first-year Illinois head coach John Groce very long to have to deal with an assistant leaving for another job, as Isaac Chew’s desk barely had the time to collect dust before he was off to Marquette.

Illinois announced the completion of its coaching staff on Thursday with the hiring of Paris Parham, who spent the prior five seasons on Tim Jankovich’s staff at Illinois State.

The fact that Parham, who has 15 years of coaching experience, is a Chicago native won’t be lost on the Illini partisans who have wanted their program to be more of a recruiting force in the Windy City for years.

“I was impressed with what he helped Illinois State accomplish during his time there and feel he will hit the ground running and help us immediately in the pursuit of our goals,” said Groce in the school release.

“He has worked hard on the recruiting trail in the city of Chicago, as well as throughout the state of Illinois and the Midwest.

“Paris has many qualities that make him a successful coach, but what impressed me the most is the relationships he builds with the players. He is a great role model for young men and will be an outstanding ambassador for our program.”

Parham also was a head coach at both Morgan Park High School and Phillips Academy in his hometown, and with his Chicago area connections this could be a step in the right direction for Illinois from a recruiting standpoint.

Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.