June
30, 2004
Northern
Illinois Men's Basketball Names Sean Harrington Director of Basketball
Operations
DeKALB, IL -
Northern Illinois University head men’s basketball coach Rob
Judson announced the hiring of former University of Illinois and
Elgin High School standout Sean Harrington as director of basketball
operations on Wednesday.
Harrington comes
to Northern Illinois after spending one season at the University
of Kansas where he served as administrative assistant / video coordinator
for Bill Self’s Jayhawks.
Prior to joining
the coaching profession, Harrington was a standout shooting guard
for the Fighting Illini from 1999-2003, playing two seasons for
Judson under head coaches Lon Kruger and Self.
“I’m
very excited to become a member of Rob Judson’s staff at Northern
Illinois,” Harrington said. “I’ve known Coach Judson
for quite some time, beginning with my recruitment process to the
University of Illinois. Coach Judson is someone I have tremendous
respect for, having played for him for two seasons and having stayed
in touch with him since he left for NIU. This is a great opportunity
and I am excited to be coming back to the state of Illinois.
“I have
a lot of ties to the state and grew up in the area, so I am excited
to be coming back,” Harrington said about his impending return.
“I have a number of family members and friends in the region,
so to get closer to them makes it special.”
While in Champaign,
IL, Harrington played in 132 career games with 21 starts, helping
the Illini qualify for four National Collegiate Athletics Association
Tournaments. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Harrington
capped his career No. 3 all-time at the U of I in career three-point
makes with 191. As a senior, the Elgin, IL, native was the Big Ten’s
percentage leader in three-point buckets (.433) and was eighth in
the League with 64 three-point makes. The 6-foot-3 guard topped
20 points three times during the 2002-03 campaign including a 20-point
outburst against
North Carolina at the Assembly Hall in the ESPN ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Harrington started
a career high 14 games as a junior in Illinois’ three-guard
offense, tying for second on the squad with 87 assists. He scored
a season high 16 points in a Big Ten quarterfinal win over Minnesota
with 12 of those points coming from beyond the arc.
Harrington was
initially the Big Ten’s three-point percentage leader as a
sophomore in 2000-01, connecting on .459 percent of his treys, including
a school-record stretch of nine consecutive makes from the 7:45
mark of the second half against Arizona (Nov. 22, 2000) to the 9:56
mark of the first half against Kansas State (Dec. 12, 2000).
“Sean has
a tremendous basketball background and great visibility in the Northern
Illinois recruiting area,” Judson said. “He’s an
aggressive young coach with great integrity and an excellent work
ethic. We are extremely pleased to add him to our staff.”
Harrington joined the coaching ranks last season as an administrative
assistant coach for Kansas, helping the Jayhawks to a 24-9 overall
record and a berth into the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.
The Jayhawks also achieved a No. 1 national ranking on Dec. 1, 2003.
Harrington was
a prep standout at Elgin High School, playing for his father Jim
Harrington and with former Huskie Marcus Smallwood. As a senior,
Harrington led the Maroons to a 20-10 overall record and an appearance
in the Illinois Class AA sectional finals where they fell to Schaumburg
High School. The holder of 62 school records, Harrington concluded
his prep career with a record 2,119 points, 264 career treys and
627 career free throws. As a senior, Harrington averaged 24.0 points,
6.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds after pouring in 22.1 points as a junior
and 17.5 points as a sophomore.
Harrington,
a 2003 graduate of Illinois in Advertising, fills the director of
basketball operations position vacated by Steve Christiansen. Christiansen
spent three seasons at Northern Illinois prior to becoming the head
basketball coach at Triton College in River Grove, IL.
Sean Harrington
Career At-A-Glance
Harrington’s
Coaching Resume
Year School Location Duties
2003-04 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Administrative Assistant
/ Video Coordinator
Harrington’s
Playing Resume
Year School Location
1999-2003 University of Illinois Champaign, IL
1995-1999 Elgin High School Elgin, IL
