There are about 82 steps between men’s basketball Coach Mark Edwards’s office and the unoccupied room on the other side of the court.

Early yesterday morning, women’s basketball coach Nancy Fahey sent out an email to her players calling for a team meeting at noon. Fahey had just accepted the head coaching position at the University of Illinois.

While it’s still playoff season for most Washington University fall sports teams, the men’s and women’s basketball teams are just getting started. In this week’s season openers, the Washington University men’s basketball team held on for a slim 60-59 victory at Webster University, while the women’s team coasted to an 83-60 win against Westminster College at the Field House.

Up against Division I University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—a program with 17 Big Ten championships—the Washington University men’s basketball team led for most of the first half, fell behind by as much as 29 and finally went on a 18-1 run to close the gap. It was enough to make the sparse exhibition game crowd shift in their seats but not enough to beat a team that occasionally sends players to the NBA.

Washington University’s athletic director Josh Whitman has been hired as the new athletic director of Division I University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His tenure begins March 21.

Washington University’s athletic director Josh Whitman has been hired as the new athletic director of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

After just two years as the Washington University athletic director, Josh Whitman might be leaving. Whitman is currently one of three top candidates in the running for the vacant athletic director position at Division I University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.