MANHATTAN, Kan. — Former Illinois coach Bruce Weber knows Kansas State fans might not accept him right away. That much became clear when a small rally for another coaching candidate Saturday turned into a protest of his hiring.
Weber, though, said he doesn’t have a problem with that. He said he is up for any challenge that’s presented to him.
The Wildcats introduced Weber to replace Frank Martin, whose departure for South Carolina earlier in the week sent shockwaves through the program. Kansas State moved quickly on the hiring, reaching out to Weber in the last few days and finalizing a five-year, $8.5 million deal late Friday.
‘‘It’s been a whirlwind, to be honest,’’ Weber said. ‘‘Just a few hours ago, I was in New Orleans [for the Final Four], thinking I was going to have gumbo.’’
Wildcats athletic director John Currie said he was impressed by Weber’s excitement about the job.
‘‘We wanted a coach who recognized the tremendous opportunity that exists here at Kansas State,’’ Currie said. ‘‘Bruce Weber’s name repeatedly rose to the top of the list [as someone] whose personal values and integrity matched those of K-State.’’
Weber was greeted at Bramlage Coliseum by a small group of fans who had been planning to support another candidate and who were displeased with the hiring of a man recently fired by Illinois.
Weber was let go after compiling a 210-101 record in nine seasons with the Illini. He guided Illinois to a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament in 2005, but the Illini went 17-15 overall and 6-12 in the Big Ten this season, prompting the school to let Weber go with three years left on his contract.
‘‘We had a young team — six freshmen, one returning starter,’’ Weber said. ‘‘The disappointment of a lot of close losses took a toll. It happens.’’
Among the critics of the decision to hire Weber was former Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen. Pullen, a former Proviso East star and the Wildcats’ career scoring leader, offered his assessment of the hiring on Twitter, even misspelling Weber’s name: ‘‘Bruce Webber didn’t think I was good enough to play at Illinois and I don’t think he is good enough to coach at Kansas State.’’
All Weber asked of the Kansas State faithful was a fair shake.
‘‘Give me a chance,’’ Weber said. ‘‘It doesn’t matter where you go or which coach you hired, there was always going to be a question mark. There’s no doubt about that. That’s part of college sports.’’
