College

CHARLESTON (AP) — An assistant women's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University has died.

Never in Rachel Urbelis’ life has the phrase "Setting them up and knocking them down" been more relevant than the night of Saturday, Oct. 24 when she took over a volleyball match like very few Division I players ever do.

DeKALB – Make no mistake about it, Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill wants his team playing fast tonight.

DeKALB – The natural question that arose from Northern Illinois’ exhibition victory against Aurora University was why junior guard Jake Anderson saw more time at point guard than normal.

DeKALB – Playing essentially on one leg didn’t do too much to hurt Jason Onyebuagu’s overall performance, at least in the eyes of Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill.

DeKALB – The belief around Northern Illinois is that the men’s basketball team will be better than it has in the recent past.

DeKALB – A return to action Saturday would seem unlikely for Chandler Harnish, but Northern Illinois football coach Jerry Kill didn’t rule anything out on Tuesday.

After watching the film of Saturday’s 27-22 victory at Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill believes quarterback DeMarcus Grady’s comfort level grew as the game progressed.

DeKALB – While Northern Illinois’ quarterback situation appears it will remained unresolved to the public before today, NIU coach Jerry Kill wants to see something that was lacking in last week’s loss to Toledo.

DeKALB – Whether it’s a young team maturing, the addition of new talent, an increase in strength and conditioning or a combination of the three, expectations are different in and around the Northern Illinois men’s basketball team.

Northern Illinois sophomore forward Tyler Storm appeared in 28 games and started eight as a freshman for the Huskies. He averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds a game. Now a sophomore, Storm hopes to make an even bigger impact for an NIU team that has increased expectations.

DeKALB – Mid-American Conference teams haven’t had any fun covering Toledo wide receiver Stephen Williams for the past 31⁄2 seasons.

Tracy Wilson earned his way into Northern Illinois’ starting lineup at safety and has continued to shine this year.