CHAMPAIGN – Josh Whitman isn’t an athletic director who strikes the Heisman Trophy pose while working with his staff in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Illinois. He doesn’t push people away. He puts them in a bear hug.

While rubbing elbows with his coaches and building tight relationships with the major players in his department makes it more fun on a daily basis, it can also make it that much harder when he has to cut somebody loose.

Saturday was one of those days he didn’t enjoy. By firing John Groce, Whitman essentially sent one of his best friends out of town. Sometimes, it’s not all fun and games.

If this decision wasn’t the hardest in his career as an athletic director, “it’s the most personal,’’ Whitman said. The right decision was a tough one.

“It’s no secret John and I have gotten to be good friends,’’ Whitman said. “I admire a lot of things about him. I hope this relationship can endure after he’s gone. Some AD’s use the Heisman pose, keep everyone at arm’s length. You might have to make a decision like this one. Other AD’s choose to wrap their arms around people, get down in the fox hole with them.

“The reality is that if I kept John at arm’s length, then today would have been a lot easier. But I made the decision to pull him closer. That made the last 13 to 14 months a whole lot better, but it made today harder.’’

Whitman didn’t make the easy decision, but he made the right one. Sure, Groce is a good guy who showed great class and poise on even the most trying of days, but Whitman wasn’t ready to let the program slip away further from the bright lights. A football guy, Whitman can remember the days when the hair would stand up on the back of his neck during those last glory days more than a decade ago when Assembly hall was sold out with season tickets. It’s his job to restore the basketball program to a position of prominence.

After working through his decision on Thursday, calling Groce for a meeting on Saturday and announcing his decision later in the afternoon, Whitman will move forward in quite possibly the most important hire of his career. A basketball school needs a basketball coach who can lift the flagship program back into the status of the elite. Once feared and respected as a Big Ten Conference powerhouse and a team that would regularly move deep into the NCAA bracket, Illinois is dangerously close to slipping out of sight.

Whitman won’t use a search firm to find the next coach, and he realizes the importance of his next move.

“We have a basketball program that we all expect to compete for Big Ten and national championships,’’ Whitman said. “I was here at the peak. I saw the energy of the environment at the State Farm Center, when you couldn’t find a ticket, every game was an event, every fan was in an orange shirt. I remember standing in the crowd when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I’ll never forget that feeling when that team took the floor.

“That was 10 years ago. If we’re not careful, it will be 30 years ago. That’s what I can’t let happen.’’

Let’s be clear. It’s a strong move by Whitman to shun the search firms, but it’s the right move. He’s hired to hire and fire coaches, so he shouldn’t leave the work to a hired gun who picks from his own pool of coaches. Parker Executive Search didn’t help things for Illinois under former AD Mike Thomas, so let’s watch how Whitman does.

He moved quickly by hiring Lovie Smith as a football coach in his first days on the job, but Whitman said this would be a more traditional search. Speed is important, but finding a quality coach is the most important consideration. He would prefer a candidate with head coaching experience, strong leadership skills and high integrity.

“Basketball can be a slippery business,’’ Whitman said. “I never once lost sleep over what our basketball staff was doing on the recruiting trail. The process (for replacing Groce) starts today. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. We’ve had people reach out. There’s been speculation about the position for a while. Basketball can be a pretty slippery business. I never once lost sleep over what our basketball staff was dong on the recruiting trail or any of their work.’’

Groce was immediately relieved of his duties, although he wanted to coach in the Illini if they received an NIT bid. The Illini plan to accept it and will go with Jamall Walker as interim coach with the rest of the coaching staff working with the team.

The unique situation revolved around the recruiting class, ranked as one of the nation’s best. That’s not normally the case when a coach is fired after five seasons. Whitman sent text messages to the class and informed them he will call in the next day or two.

“It did complicate things,’’ Whitman said. “It’s unusual to have a program that performed as ours did to have a recruiting class this highly rated. I would hope they would give us an opportunity to bring in a dynamic new coach and want to be a part of it. I look forward to talking with them over the next few days.’’

Groce offered to coach the Illini in the postseason, but Whitman felt a clean break was more appropriate. Despite his obvious disappointment, Groce was grateful for the opportunity to coach the Illini.

“It’s been a privilege, a real blessing,’’ Groce said. “Thank God for the opportunity to be here and be around so many people. Numerous people impacted us. That’s what made it fun to be here. We hope in a small way we impacted people.’’

Groce left a strong impression on Whitman, who had to make the tough decision about his friend’s future.

“I told him there are so many things about you that would be on my list for any head coach,’’ Whitman said. “That’s absolutely true.’’

Now the job is for Whitman to find a coach, then share the fox hole with him.

John Supinie is a columnist for Orangeandbluenews.com. During the day, he’s an Audi Brand Specialist at Green Audi in Springfield. Call or text him at 217-377-1977 if you’re looking for an Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota or preowned car. Ask for the Illini deal.