Boudreau, WIU prove compatible, making his promotion to men’s basketball coach easy move

MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois University found its perfect match, so there was no reason to waste any time making it official.

Six days after naming Chad Boudreau as the interim men’s basketball coach in the wake of Rob Jeter’s sudden departure to take over at Southern Utah, WIU athletic director Paul Bubb removed the interim tag and formally introduced Boudreau as the Leathernecks’ head coach during a press conference Thursday in the Hall of Fame Room inside Western Hall.

“When (the coaching vacancy) first happened, things were moving quickly,” said Boudreau, who served as WIU’s associate head coach the past three seasons. “I don’t want to say I know what speed dating is like because Stacy (his wife) is watching this right now. I don’t want to act like I know what speed dating is like, and I don’t.

“But that’s what this process has been like.”

Bubb saw immediately how compatible Boudreau and WIU truly were.

“It’s been a fast and furious week in Leatherneck athletics,” Bubb said. “In the first 48 hours this position was open, the text messages, the emails, the phone calls I had let me know this position was much better positioned than it was three years ago when we made a change at that time.” 

He didn’t need to answer any of those inquiries since Boudreau was the answer to all the pertinent questions.

“Who has helped build this team that has enjoyed back-to-back successful seasons?” said Bubb, referencing WIU’s 16-16 record in 2021-22 and the 16-14 record last winter. “Who had the support of the team? Who had the support of the community? When I spoke to my friends in the coaching world, he had their endorsement as well.”

For good reason.

A 1995 graduate of Hannibal-LaGrange University, where he played two seasons for the Trojans after transferring from Southeastern Community College, Boudreau has been a lifelong coach.

He began his career as a graduate assistant with the women’s basketball program at HLGU. He joined the staff at Indian Hills Community College in 1995 and helped the Warriors reach the NJCAA Final Four during his six seasons on the bench. 

Boudreau served on the staff at the University of Milwaukee from 2005-2016, helping lead the Panthers to Horizon League championships in 2006, 2011 and 2014.

Boudreau left Milwaukee to become the head coach at Highland College in Freeport, Ill. He led the Cougars to three consecutive Arrowhead Conference titles with undefeated conference marks in 2019 and 2020. He earned Arrowhead Conference Coach of the Year honors three times and was named NJCAA Region IV Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2020. 

He joined Jeter in Macomb after the two previously worked together at Milwaukee, and Boudreau made the move to be a part of the Macomb community and return to the tri-state area where he’s rooted. Now he gets to stay a while longer.

Bubb handed Boudreau a WIU jersey with No. 1 on it as he came to the podium.

“Plan on making sure that we are No. 1 and let’s go after a conference championship, the sooner, the better,” Bubb said.

The jersey had deeper meaning for Boudreau.

“When I was coming out of high school, I wanted to go to Western Illinois,” said Boudreau, who is a native of Farmington, Iowa, and attended Harmony High School. “I grew up 82 miles from here. I know the Marganthalers. My dad would bring me over here to games. This is as close as I got to a jersey. I wasn’t good enough.

“So it’s great to finally get that.”