Feb. 17--Let's say you're Josh Whitman, and you've just been hired to clean up the mess left by former Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas. Where do you start?
Here's where -- the men's golf program.
You don't try to fix it, because it needs as much fixing as Taylor Swift.
You study it. You learn how a cold-weather school ascended to No. 1, like if Florida had a killer ski team or North Dakota dominated in synchronized swimming.
You'd talk to Mike Small, the coach who is "single-handedly the biggest reason why the program is what it is," as Illini golfer Charlie Danielson told the NCAA's website in November.
And here's one thing Small would tell you: Think big.
"There's no reason why Illinois should not be competing in everything, not only regionally but nationally," he said by telephone Wednesday morning. "This is a juggernaut waiting to bust open. There is no ceiling. Other schools know it, and most importantly, we have to know it."
Small called from Los Angeles, where he was waiting to board a flight back home. He spent Monday caddying for Danielson, who earned a spot in this week's PGA Tour event, the Northern Trust Open, by firing a bogey-free, 3-under 68 at the Collegiate Showcase qualifying event.
Small would have remained on his bag for the big-boy event but per NCAA rules, Danielson would have had to forgo a college event later in spring.
"Ridiculous," Small said.
Some Illini donors wanted Small to be the school's next athletic director. He was flattered but not interested, saying: "I'm a professional golfer and golf coach, not an administrator."
His team is No. 1 in the current Golfweek rankings, with warm-weather schools making up the rest of the top 10. The next Big Ten team is Purdue, at No. 18.
How did Small do it?
