Kruger to Coach Hawks

Illinois coach Lon Kruger has accepted an offer to become coach of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, according to published reports.

The News-Gazette of Champaign, Ill., reported on its Internet site Wednesday night that Kruger accepted the job after meeting with team executives in Atlanta.

The newspaper, citing anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations, reported that Kruger is to receive a five-year deal worth $2 million annually--a figure confirmed by other published reports.

The deal reportedly will be be announced at a news conference today in Atlanta.

Kruger was informing his Illinois players of the decision Wednesday night by telephone, the newspaper reported.

“I wanted to go outside the box and hire someone who has a blue collar ethic and who could establish longevity,” Hawk General Manager Pete Babcock told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Kruger said he had never seriously considered coaching in the NBA until Babcock called him last week.