Kevin Kruger was hired on July, 9, 2024 as the Assistant to the Head Coach. 

Kruger returned to Champaign, where he lived for four years and played two seasons at Centennial High School while his father, 2022 College Basketball Hall of Famer Lon Kruger, served as head coach of the Fighting Illini program from 1996-2000.

Prior to coming to Illiois, Kruger spent six seasons (2019-25) at UNLV where he served as an assistant coach under T.J. Otzelberger before being elevated to head coach  for the 2020-21. During his tenure at the helm of the Runnin’ Rebels program, he guided the team to four consecutive winning seasons and posted an overall record of 76-55 (.581). Kruger’s time as UNLV head coach was highlighted by a 21-win season and a run to the NIT quarterfinals in 2023-24, which marked the Rebels’ first postseason appearance in 11 years and the program’s first postseason wins in 16 seasons.

Before UNLV, Kruger spent three seasons (2016-19) as an assistant coach on his father’s staff at Oklahoma, where he helped the Sooners to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019. Kruger began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at OU in 2013-14, followed by a two-year stint (2014-16) as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona, where he helped the Lumberjacks to a 23-win campaign and a runner-up finish in the 2015 CIT.

Kruger played three seasons at Arizona State (2003-06) before transferring to UNLV to play his final season for his father. He led the 2006-07 UNLV squad to 30 wins and a Sweet 16 as a third-team All-Mountain West selection and a member of the MW All-Tournament team.

At ASU, Kruger was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 and second-team NABC District 15 selection in his final season. A Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention pick, Kruger left the Sun Devils ranked fourth in career free throw percentage, fifth in 3-pointers made and attempted, and seventh in 3-point percentage.

Kruger had professional basketball stints in Bulgaria, Italy, China, Mexico, Belgium, and Germany, in addition to NBA training camp invitations from the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks. He also played with the Utah Flash and Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League before launching his coaching career.

Kruger earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Arizona State in 2006 and completed his master's degree from Oklahoma in human relations in 2017.

Kruger is married to the former Allison Gerding, and the couple has two daughters, Cameron (6) and Vivienne (3), and a son, Maxwell (1).