Bruce Weber has been taken care of at Illinois in the past and it appears he will be well into the future.

The basketball coach for six years, he received either a contract extension or a raise for three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. And even after a bump in the road during the 2007-08 campaign, athletics director Ron Guenther assured Weber that if the winning resumed, the coach would be rewarded.

So, after the Illini returned to the NCAA Tournament, albeit for only one game,  Guenther and Weber began to negotiate a deal. The result is a proposed contract extension through 2015 and a raise from a $1 million total package to $1.5 million.

Weber told me today that Guenther approached him when the season ended, and true to his promise began to work on a new deal immediately. The Illinois board of trustees will vote on the raise and extension at its meeting Thursday.

Weber was hesitant to say much before the proposal is put to a vote. But he expressed pleasure that the school is taking steps that might allow him to remain at Illinois until retirement, although he would be only 58 when the contract expires in 2015.

If approved, Weber’s total package would immediately increase to $1.25 million and jump to $1.5 million on Jan. 15, 2010. He currently makes $1 million with a deal through 2012.

The new deal is an indication that not only is Guenther pleased that the Illini got things straightened out this season but that Weber has made huge recruiting inroads to lure significant talent for coming seasons. By extending the contract, he is telling future recruits that Weber is going to be in Champaign for the long haul.

In the past, Weber received a raise and extension in June 2004 after his first season; a raise, extension and the establishment of a deferred compensation account in 2005; and a raise and extension in 2006.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board is expected to discuss a new multi-year contract for assistant coach Jerrance Howard, who has been wooed by some prominent programs recently, turning down offers to remain at Illinois.