Joey Biggs is Associate Athletic Director/Chief of Staff for basketball, in his ninth year with the Fighting Illini program after joining the staff in April 2017.

Biggs oversees all operational aspects of the Illini program, including  scheduling, travel, and budget. He was also heavily involved in design and planning for the $40 million renovation and expansion of the Ubben Basketball Complex and runs the annual Brad School fundraiser.

Illinois Basketball has enjoyed widespread success during Biggs’ tenure, aligning with the winningest Big Ten run in program history. 

Illinois won 21 games during the regular season and finished ranked No. 21 in the AP poll in 2020. The Illini then went 24-7 in 2021, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship to earn an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Illini set a school record by defeating six top-10 teams and ended the year at No. 2 in the final AP poll, the second-highest rating in program history.  

Illinois won the 2022 Big Ten Championship after going 23-10 overall and 15-5 in conference play to officially win its first regular-season title since 2005. Illinois won 20 games again in 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024, its best NCAA Tournament finish in 19 years. The Illini finished with 29 wins, marking the third-most in school history, and end the year ranked No. 6 in the final AP poll.

The Illini won 22 games in 2025 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. 

Biggs came to Illinois after spending 15 years at Oklahoma State. He served 11 years there as assistant athletic director for basketball, overseeing travel, budget, scheduling, special events, alumni relations and operational functions. 

Prior to working with the Cowboys men’s basketball program, Biggs oversaw all marketing efforts of the Oklahoma State athletic department from 2002-06. He was responsible for season ticket campaigns, ticket office operations, merchandising, internet operation, contracts/vendor relationships, and all game-day staging.

During his tenure, OSU set an all-time record for football season ticket sales in 2004, as well as records for total ticket revenues, merchandise revenues, multimedia rights revenues and soft-drink revenues.

Before his arrival at Oklahoma State, Biggs spent two years as associate director of athletics/external affairs at Emporia State University. He was in charge of all fundraising, development, marketing, corporate sales, ticketing campaigns and media relations activities. Biggs also oversaw successful funding efforts to begin a women’s soccer program. During his era, Emporia State athletics established all-time marks for annual monies raised and total revenues generated.

He also served as director of development for the Tulsa Sports Commission from May 1999 to September 2000.

He served as an assistant basketball coach and assistant athletic director at his alma mater, Ottawa University, from 1996-99. Biggs participated in basketball and golf while attending Ottawa, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 1997. He then received a master’s degree in sports administration from Kansas in 1998.

Joey and his wife, the former Michelle Arndt, live in Champaign with their two daughters, Jenika and Jackelynn.