BTN.com staff, February 19, 2016

Illinois announced Josh Whitman as the school's new Athletic Director on Thursday. Here is his entire opening statement as well as his answers to media questions.

Earlier this week as the news came out that Illinois had tabbed Whitman, BTN.com's Tom Dienhart wrote of the challenges ahead for Illinois.

These haven?t been golden years of late in Champaign," Dienhgart wrote. "Illinois? flagship school has seen its marquee programs of football and men?s basketball lag behind its peers. Whitman needs to foster and build an environment in which those sports and all the others can thrive for a proud institution with plenty of academic heft."

Read the whole post here.