Armato weighing his options

Former Northern Illinois men's and women's assistant basketball coach Carl Armato is considering applying for the open head coach position for the NIU women's basketball team, Armato confirmed this afternoon.

"Coaching is in my blood," Armato said. "But this is a big decision and I have to talk it over with my wife and my family."

Armato is currently the District 205 athletic director in his hometown of Rockford, a position he took in 2008. But Armato was an assistant coach under Carol Owens, who resigned this past Thursday, for the 2007-08 season. Prior to that, he was an assistant with the NIU men from 2001-07.

Armato does have head coaching experience. He was the head coach at Rock Valley Junior College from 1988-2001, leading the Golden Eagles to a 219-135 record and three appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and a seventh-place finish nationally in 2000-01. He also has coached at DeKalb, Rockford Boylan and Winnebago high schools.

A graduate of NIU, Armato was named an NIU All-Century player and played for the Huskies from 1979-84. He finished his career with 284 assists, ninth-best all-time and shot 86.5 percent from the free-throw line as a senior.

Armato said a final decision for him to apply could come as early as tonight.

"I've got a large family and anytime you make a decision like that, you have to get them involved and see what they think," he said. "...I know that if I do this, I would put my heart, everything I have in this, otherwise it's not fair."