Sources: Barry Hinson bound for SIU

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Kansas director of basketball operations and former Missouri State coach Barry Hinson has agreed to become Southern Illinois' new coach, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Hinson replaces Chris Lowery, who was fired on March 2 after eight seasons. Southern Illinois reached the NCAA tournament six consecutive seasons from 2002-2007, but the Salukis haven't been back since then. Southern Illinois went 8-23 this past season.

Hinson previously was Missouri State's head coach before joining Kansas' staff. He went 169-117 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley twice and went to three NITs from 1999-2008. He was fired from Missouri State on March 8, 2008, after going 17-16, including an 8-10 conference season. He never reached the NCAA tournament while at Missouri State.

Also one of the tipping points, sources told ESPN.com, is that in Hinson's nine years in the Missouri Valley Conference he had 10 wins against SIU while the head coach at Missouri State. SIU lost 40 conference games during that nine-year span and Hinson had 25 percent of those wins.

Former Illinois coach Bruce Weber was thought to be in play for the job. Last week, a source with knowledge of Southern Illinois' coaching search, said Weber, who coached at SIU for five years before taking the post at Illinois, had been offered the position.

Hinson also was Oral Roberts' head coach from 1997-1999 and compiled a 36-23 record and tied for two Mid-Continent regular-season titles before moving onto Missouri State.

Hinson has spent the past four years under Bill Self at Kansas. He spent the first two years as Kansas' director of external relations for men's basketball and the past two years as the director of operations. He was also an assistant for Self at Oral Roberts.

ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz contributed to this report.

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Scott Powers is a general reporter for ESPNChicago.com. He is an award-winning journalist and has been reporting on preps, colleges and pros for publications throughout the Midwest since 1997.