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Notables

News and notes from around D-III

From July-September 2001

Grundman named as Marywood coach
SCRANTON, Pa. — Eric Grundman has been named the head men's basketball coach at Marywood University.

Grundman is the third head coach of the Pacer's men's basketball team, which began in 1991. He replaces Doug Kraft, who left Marywood in August to become an assistant coach at DeSales. Grundman inherits a team that compiled a 7-18 mark in 2000-01 and a combined 18-56 during Kraft's three-year tenure.

"I can tell you that we will stress the importance of playing hard, smart and together. When we take care of those three things then we'll be all right. I am going to work extremely hard on building the Marywood men's basketball program into an extremely consistent program in both the conference and regionally" he stated. "I think my experience at Lackawanna in the areas of academics and athletically will help to continue to build on a rich and proud Marywood traditions."

Grundman was the head basketball coach for Lackawanna College. Last season he guided the Falcons to a 19-9 record, falling one win shy of returning to the NJCAA Division II National. Grundman's Falcons battled four times into the Region XIX championship games, while hanging title banners three times during his seven years at the helm. Grundman complied a 153-47 (.765) record while at Lackawanna, including three NJCAA-Division II Region XIX Coach of the Year honors. At Lackawanna, he had four seasons with 21 wins or more and two season with 19 wins.

Prior Lackawanna, Grundman served as an assistant coach at Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y., from 1992-94 and Binghamton University from 1985-91. Both programs participated in postseason play.

The Pacers will take the hardwood for the first time this season against Richard Stockton on Nov. 16 at the 10th Annual Laurel Line Tournament at Misericordia.

Centenary hires CYO director
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Centenary is pleased to announce the appointment of Abraham Kasbo as men's basketball head coach. Kasbo joins the Centenary Cyclones after many years of coaching on a variety of levels and served as assistant men's basketball coach at Stevens Tech for the 1995-96 season. He is the founder and Director of the Silk City Basketball Camp in Paterson, N.J., and for the past three years, a Director of the Paterson CYO Basketball League.

"I am excited about working with this talented and enthusiastic group of student-athletes," Kasbo said. "I appreciate this opportunity and will hard to grow the men's basketball program and elevate the competitiveness of the team through player development and recruiting. I am very eager to begin work with our players and build on the rich tradition of Cyclone basketball.

"My immediate task is to help this team understand the importance of working together and building on our successes." Kasbo said. "I want each player to achieve his fullest potential, but in ways that enhances and elevates the level of play of all members of our team. From the administration, student body, to the players, Centenary College is a wonderful opportunity for me because I see so much potential and I look forward to the challenge."

Kasbo, 31, a graduate of Paul VI Regional High School in Clifton, earned his Master's degree in Public Administration and bachelor's degree in Political Science from Seton Hall.

Kunka takes over Kenyon’s men’s team
GAMBIER, Ohio — The next time the Kenyon men’s basketball team hits the hardwood, it will be under the direction of newly hired head coach Dave Kunka. Upon recently accepting that leadership role, Kunka becomes the 17th head coach in the 102-year history of the Kenyon men’s basketball program.

"We are very excited to have Dave join our staff," director of athletics Jennie Bruening said. "He not only brings strong coaching and playing experience to Kenyon, but a high-energy personality that lets his players know he’s dedicated to their success in the gym and in the classroom."

Kunka’s arrival at Kenyon comes after three years of service as an assistant coach at North Central. He worked under head coach Bob Bray to guide the Cardinals through a span of steady improvement, in which the team upgraded from a 3-22 season to back-to-back 8-17 seasons.

Kunka developed his basketball philosophies at NCC, while coaching in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin — one of the strongest men’s basketball conferences in NCAA Division III.

"Although the end results might not be exactly what you want, you can never underestimate the importance of playing against some of the top teams in the nation," Kunka explained. "It gives you an up-close look at what is needed to reach that level and it pushes you to strive for that kind of success. It’s the same in the NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference). Wittenberg and Wooster are the cream of the crop right now and that’s where we want to be with this Kenyon team."

A native of Palos Heights, Ill., Kunka graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He moved ahead in 1994 and earned his master’s degree in physical education from Northern Illinois.

On the court, Kunka’s playing career has been recorded among the best at Illinois Wesleyan, an institution that is second only to Wittenberg among the all-time win leaders in Division III history.

A four-year starting guard, Kunka finished his career ranked in the school’s top thirty in points (1,159), rebounds (438) and assists (326). He was a three-time team captain and helped his squad to a combined record of 68-41 during his four years of play. He was named a First Team All-CCIW honoree and a District V Academic All-American during the 1990-’91 season.

During his collegiate career, Kunka had the privilege of being coached by Dennie Bridges, the winningest Division III coach in the 1990s. He also had the privilege of coaching alongside Bridges during the 1991-’92 season.

"I blew out my knee in the first game of the ’91-’92 season, so instead of playing I worked as a student assistant for Coach Bridges," Kunka said. "I really hated to miss a season, but in retrospect it could have been the best thing that happened to me. I worked closely with Coach Bridges and really got a behind-the-scenes look at what Division III basketball was all about. He taught me a lot and got me to seriously think about a coaching career."

"I am very excited to be at Kenyon and understand that this College is not an average Division III school," Kunka added. "Kenyon’s selectivity and high standards make it one of the best academic schools in the nation and I understand the priority on the students’ success in the classroom. I am, however, also committed to the athletic side of my players’ lives. We are shooting for superiority in academics and athletics."

Kunka replaces Jamie Harless, who left in August to become an assistant coach at Division II California University of Pennsylvania. He inherits a team that went 9-16 last season and a combined 15-35 during Harless’ two-year stint.

Foltice transfers out of Division III
Calvin guard Bryan Foltice, whose 10-foot buzzer-beater sent Calvin to the 2000 national championship game, has announced he will leave Calvin and enroll for his junior season at NAIA Division II Cornerstone. The scholarship program was an NAIA Division II semifinalist in 2001.

Foltice, who was facing having to sit out the 2002-03 season to earn money to return to Calvin, will receive scholarship money to play at Cornerstone.

Foltice told the Grands Rapids Press, "the reason for leaving was just the fact of having to pay the full tuition, and being a Division III athlete while not being able to get an athletic scholarship. I was having to work 55 to 60 hours a week during the summer, and 20 hours during basketball season to come up with the proper money to pay for school.

"Having that burden on me ... it all added up," Foltice said. "I kind of hit the wall over the summer and felt something needed to change."

Foltice averaged 14.7 points, second on the team, for Calvin last season, leading the team in three-point shooting.

Jenkins opts for Italian team
Although William Paterson all-time leading scorer Horace Jenkins got overlooked in June's NBA Draft, he will still play pro ball. Despite getting invited to the Orlando Magic's veterans' camp, the 26-year-old Elizabeth native opted to play for the Cimberio club team in Borgomanero, Italy for one simple reason.

A guaranteed, one-year contract.

"Basically, what I had told him is because of your age, you have to take what's guaranteed. You have to hope the guarantee is for you to come back to the NBA," Pioneers men's basketball coach Jose Rebimbas said.

During his three-year tenure at WPU, Jenkins helped transform Rebimbas' program into one of the nation's elite while establishing himself as arguably the nation's premier Division III men's basketball players. The accolades speak for themselves: After averaging 27.1 points per game while leading the Pioneers to the Division III championship game, he was named a first-team All-American by D3hoops.com and triumphed over a slew of Division I stars at the Holiday Inn NCAA Slam Dunk competition during Final Four weekend in Minneapolis in March.

Jenkins left WPU after scoring a school-record 1,940 points — remarkable considering he transferred from Union County College in December 1998. This past year, he set single-season school records for scoring average (27.1 ppg), points (641), 3-pointers (74), free throws (257). He also set a single-game standard by knocking down 20 free throws against Kean on Feb. 14.

Besides the personal accomplishments, the Pioneers went 68-22 with Jenkins on the floor. This includes two trips to the Division III Final Four, including this past season, when the program won a school-record 26 games.

King's hires men's coach
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — As an all-American and most recently as an assistant coach at his alma mater Scranton, J.P. Andrejko was involved in numerous hotly contested battles with King's over the years. Andrejko, however, will go from long-time foe to ally as he has been named head coach at King's.

Andrejko, who becomes the ninth head coach in King's basketball history (1946-2001), replaces Jim Casciano who resigned in July to assume the head coaching post at Division II New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve as head coach at King¹s and am particularly excited about coaching this team," Andrejko stated. "After having watched King's basketball the last four years, I have seen the progress the program has made and am anxious to coach this group of players."

Prior to his stint at Scranton, Andrejko served as an assistant coach at Pocono Mountain High School from 1992-96; Wilkes from 1989-91; and Keystone Junior College during the 1988-89 season. At Keystone, he helped the Giants attain a 27-3 record and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.

Andrejko will take over a Monarch program which comes off a 19-9 season in which King's captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region Championship and earned its first MAC playoff berth since the 1993-94 season.

Misericordia returns from Emerald Isle
DALLAS, Pa. — The College Misericordia men's basketball team recently returned from its tour of the Republic of Ireland, where they played four games against local pro club teams.

The Cougars finished 1-3 despite leading at halftime in three of the four contests. "Overall, we played pretty well," said Misericordia head coach Dave Martin. "We were competitive and we had a lot of young guys get some playing time."

The games were played under international rules which was a first for the Cougars. "The international game is definitely more physical," said Martin. "It was a challenge at first, but we made the necessary adjustments."

Misericordia was without the services of starting center Jason Perry who suffered a shoulder injury two weeks before the trip. "We gave away some size on the inside without Jason in the lineup," said Martin. "Some of our younger players were able to get some valuable experience."

Misericordia opened with a 98-88 victory over the Tralle Tigers behind 36 points from Willie Chandler. Shawn Hayes had 17 points to lead four other players in double figures. Kevin Driscoll added 14 while Kyle Watkins and Jason Skovronski had 11 points each.

One of the highlights of the contest was Misericordia being listed on the scoreboard as "USA" and several players signed autographs for young fans after the game. "That was an exciting environment for our guys," said Martin. "The crowd was really into the game and turned it into a really fun atmosphere."

In their second game, the Cougars lost to Neptune, 82-75, after leading 43-40 at halftime. Chandler had 18 points and Watkins added 12. Against the defending Ireland Cup champions, Killester, Misericordia trailed 47-44 at halftime before losing, 100-75. Chandler led the Cougars with 19 points and Scott Napkori added 13. The Cougars dropped their finale, 67-64, to Limerick. Chandler had 21 points and Hayes added 11.

Chandler led Misericordia with 23.5 points per game and Hayes added 9.5. "I was pleased with our effort throughout the week," said Martin. "We played hard and a lot of our younger guys got to play together for the first time."

In addition to basketball, the Cougars enjoyed many of the usual sight-seeing activities including St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Blarney Stone and of course, a round of golf.

"It was a great vacation for everyone," said Martin. "We got to see a beautiful country and meet a lot of nice people. A lot of guys were able to play a round of golf in Dublin."

The Cougars also visited the Catherine McAuley House in Dublin. McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy who later founded College Misericordia.

Jannuzzi signs Italian contract

Pat Coleman, D3hoops.com Dave Jannuzzi won the 2001 Jostens Award.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Former Wilkes star Dave Jannuzzi has signed a contract to play with Livorno in the Italian Basketball League. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Jannuzzi, who scored 2,132 points during his illustrious career, departs Aug. 2 for Livorno.

Jannuzzi recently returned from Portugal, where he was the only Division III player on a team headed by William Paterson head coach Jose Rebimbas. Jannuzzi averaged 18.8 points and was named MVP for the Beach Basketball Tournament in Portugal. Four Division I and two Division II players made the trip.

"This is a great opportunity," commented Jannuzzi. "It is nice to be able to do something that I love to do and get paid for it. I am very excited about having the opportunity to play in one of the best leagues in the world.

"Playing overseas has helped a lot. The rules and the game in general in Europe are very different. It is more of a passing game, rather than dribbling. That is something that I am used to. Also, the game is refereed in a different manner."

Andy Vye, Jannuzzi's agent, is a member of the Kauffman Sports Management Group in Atlanta. "Dave really caught the eye of people at the Treviso Summer League in Italy this past summer," stated Vye. "I wanted to get him a look in the Italian A1 League, and the agent that I work with in Italy said that at worst, he could play in the A2 League. The starting point guard at Livorno got injured, and now Dave is the guy. He has done a tremendous job playing in some difficult situations at the combines, which has really helped him."

Livorno finished in the upper half of the A2 league in 2000-01.

Wilkes head coach Jerry Rickrode played an integral role in helping Jannuzzi achieve his goal of playing professionally. "We were really fortunate to be able to get Andy Vye to represent Dave. He is a high-profile agent who normally deals with high-level Division I players. Fortunately, Andy has been a friend of mine since 1986 when I coached him at Ithaca and things fell into place."

O'Connor named men's coach at Ozarks
CLARKSVILLE, Ark. — Matt O’Connor has been named head men’s basketball coach at the University of the Ozarks.

O’Connor, 32, held the associate head coaching position at Division II Colorado School of the Mines (NCAA II) in Golden, Colorado last season. O’Connor helped the Miners reach the conference tournament for the first time in three seasons with a 12-14 record a year ago. He also served as an assistant there from 1998-2000. Under the direction of O’Connor, the Miners steadily improved and produced three all-conference players during his stay. Previous to CSM, O’Connor was an assistant at Maryville (Tenn.) in his hometown of Knoxville from 1995-1998.

"I was attracted to University of the Ozarks for several reasons," said O’Connor. "I was impressed with the commitment from the administration towards athletics. Everyone from Dr. Niece (President) to Coach Jones (Athletics Director Jack Jones) were very supportive of the athletic programs. University of the Ozarks is certainly a school on the rise, both academically and athletically. I also think the Clarksville area is beautiful."

O’Connor will continue to promote an up-tempo style that Eagles’ fans have been accustomed to for more than 10 years.

"We want to push the ball up the court. Defensively, we will play man-to-man defense and take people out of their offensive sets. Our defensive style will set the tempo for our offensive game. And we will be a hard working team."

O’Connor received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Davidson in North Carolina and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee.

"We are very pleased to have Matt as our Men’s Basketball Coach. One of the things that our search committee stressed is the importance of having a strong recruiter. Matt has proved himself as a strong recruiter during his time at Colorado School of the Mines and Maryville College. He will bring in quality student-athletes who can succeed in the classroom and on the court. I think he will bring a lot of positive ideas with him and we feel like he will continue the success in Eagles basketball," said Jones.

O’Connor was one of 98 applicants who applied for the position. He replaces Johnny Johnson, who coached at Ozarks for 11 years and accepted a job as athletics director of the Little Rock School District in June. The Eagles return one starter and several lettermen from last season’s team that earned a berth in the American Southwest Conference Tournament.

Dickerson signs with Ireland pro team
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Ever since he was a little boy, King's basketball standout Corey Dickerson dreamed of playing professional basketball. After concluding a record-breaking career with the Monarchs, Dickerson will finally have an opportunity to make that dream become a reality.

He will be taking his talents to Dublin, where Dickerson will play professionally with the O'Hagan Saints, a top level team in the Irish Basketball Association's ESB League.

Since graduating from King's in May, Dickerson considered several options, including playing in Nicaragua, Canada, and with the Washington Generals, the perennial opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters. But Dickerson's heart was in Europe where he had made two previous trips as part of Planet Basketball Collegiate all-star teams during the summers of 1999 and 2000.

Dickerson was put in contact with O'Hagan head coach Joe Boylan through the efforts of former King's head coach Jim Casciano and one-time Delaware Valley College mentor Bill Dooley who is coaching in Ireland. Boylan was also a one-time coach of King's senior guard Emmet Donnelly when current Monarch point-guard was a member of the Irish Junior National Team. Dickerson also had contact with Edna Burke, an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina. The Saints will begin pre-season workouts on Monday.

Dickerson, who became King's all-time leading scorer with 2,059 points as an off-guard, will play point guard for the Saints. Dickerson, a scintillating ball handler and deft penetrator, played point-guard during his freshman season at King's but moved to off-guard for his final three seasons. Despite the change of position, the 6-foot, 175-pound Dickerson is thankful for the chance to play at a higher level.

"They were looking for a point-guard and were willing to give me an opportunity," Dickerson stated. "I am very excited. Ever since playing in Europe two years ago, I always wanted to go back and play professionally. I always said I wanted an opportunity to play professional basketball so I am very grateful for the chance. Even though this is not at the highest level, I am happy to be going there and to get paid for playing the sport I love. Hopefully I can continue to develop as a player and move to the top leagues in Europe within a year or two."

Dickerson concluded an outstanding career at King's where he became the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,059 points. He enjoyed a spectacular senior year at King's where he scored a school single-season record 691 points and led the Middle Atlantic Conference in scoring with a 24.7 points per-game average. Dickerson guided the Monarchs to 19-9 record, the program's best in a decade, and the ECAC Southern Region championship, the first postseason title since 1993-94. Dickerson was a three-time MAC Freedom Conference all-star and was named Freedom Conference most valuable player in 2000.

"When you move on to a higher level, there will be a difference in size, but having played in Europe before, I know I have the quickness to make an impact," he stated. "The biggest challenge will be going in right away and being accepted by my teammates. They don't know me yet and as a point-guard, you have to be able to make your teammates trust you and then they will accept you. That is going to be an early goal of mine."

O'Hagan plays a 30-game schedule which runs from October through March. Last season, the team featured one American player on its 12-man roster.

Harless resigns, takes D-II asst. post
GAMBIER, Ohio — After serving as head coach at Kenyon College for the past two seasons, Jamie Harless has announced that he will no longer be directing the Lords basketball team. Harless, a 1995 graduate of Kenyon, has decided to accept an assistant coaching position at Division II California University of Pennsylvania.

The move will be a familiar one for Harless, who served as an assistant coach at California University for three years before taking on the head coaching duties at Kenyon in 1999. He will also rejoin Vulcans head coach Bill Brown, who previously coached at Kenyon for eight seasons and mentored Harless for four of those seasons.

“I feel like this is a great opportunity for me,” Harless said. “Kenyon is my alma mater and I have enjoyed the community and the people here since I first stepped on the campus in 1991, but now I think it is time for me to move on and pursue this position at California.”

Harless leaves the Lords program after compiling a 15-35 overall record, including a 9-16 mark last season.

“I feel very positive about my experience and stay here at Kenyon,” he added. “The student-athletes in our program the past two seasons have shown great intensity in their desire to become a competitive program in the NCAC. The amount of improvement from my first year here to my second shows just how hard many of these young men have worked.”

Harless also knew what it took to be successful as a player in the NCAC. In his four season wearing the Purple and White, he scored 1,799 points – a career mark that ranks fifth among Kenyon’s all-time leading scorers. He was named team MVP three times and was also the first Kenyon athlete to be named First Team All-NCAC three times. He still holds four Kenyon and four NCAC records, all for three-point shooting.

Harless graduated cum laude in English in 1995. He will join a Vulcan team that went 17-9 last season.

Catholic hires Lonergan. Yes, Lonergan
WASHINGTON — Catholic University named Maggie Lonergan head coach of the women's basketball team. She joins her husband, Mike Lonergan, head coach of Catholic's 2001 Division III national champion men's basketball team.

Maggie Meagher Lonergan played for Division I Mt. St. Mary's, helping lead them to Northeast Conference titles in 1993 and 1994 as well the 1994 NCAA Tournament. She later became an assistant coach for her alma mater from the 1995-96 season to 1997-98, as well as Division I American University in 1998-99.

The Lonergans are believed to be only the second current husband-wife coaching combination in the NCAA. This year Steve and Melissa Lamie enter their fifth year coaching together with the men's and women's basketball teams at Division III Grove City.

"I'm very excited, eager to get started," said Lonergan, who was named to the post July 24. "I think we have a lot of talent coming back, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. We're going to set realistic goals and hope to achieve them, and we hope to have a winning season for the first time in 12 years."

Lonergan, the 10th women's basketball coach since the program's first full season of 1971-72, replaces Kathy Kilty, who was released following this past season with a 40-85 career record over five seasons. Catholic's last winning season was Gabe Romano, who compiled a 30-17 record in 1988-89 and later went to to recruit and coach Lonergan at Mt. St. Mary's as an assistant.

Muhlenberg hires former Colgate coach
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Ron Rohn, head coach for the last six seasons at Colgate, has been named head women's basketball coach at Muhlenberg. He replaces Tammy Smith, who resigned in June to become head coach at Lafayette.

A native of nearby Easton, Rohn brings to Muhlenberg 21 years of Division I coaching experience, including nine as head coach. During that time, his teams made two NCAA Tournament appearances, won three conference championships and advanced to the conference semifinals nine times.

In his last two years at Colgate, Rohn led the Red Raiders to their most wins in 10 seasons (13 in 1999-2000) and their first-ever back-to-back appearances in the Patriot League semifinals. The 2000-01 team, which finished with a 7-22 record, advanced to the semis by toppling second-seeded Bucknell in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. Rohn resigned following the conclusion of the season.

In 1995-96, Rohn's first season as head coach after serving as Colgate's assistant for one year, the Red Raiders came within one win of an NCAA Tournament berth, falling to Holy Cross in the Patriot League championship game. His overall record as a head coach at Colgate was 80-174.

A 1982 graduate of Fordham, Rohn spent three seasons as head coach at Hofstra from 1991 to 1993. Inheriting a 2-25 team, he guided Hofstra to the East Coast Athletic Conference Tournament finals in his first season. Rohn went to Hofstra after serving as an assistant coach at Manhattan from 1985 to 1990, playing an instrumental role in converting a 7-21 squad in 1984 into a two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion.

Prior to his stint at Manhattan, Rohn was an assistant for three years at Lafayette, where he recruited the school's career leaders in scoring, rebounding and assists. The Leopards were 54-28 during that time, going 24-6 and winning the East Coast Conference championship in 1985. Rohn began his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant while at Fordham. The Rams were ranked 19th in the final 1979 Associated Press poll.

Rohn inherits a Muhlenberg program that has won five Centennial Conference East Division titles in the last six seasons. The Mules were 14-11 last year.

The 40-year-old Rohn, who also will coach Muhlenberg's Centennial Conference champion women's golf team, recently moved back to Easton, Pa., where he lives with his wife and two children.

Conn assistant heading to Ireland
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College men’s assistant basketball coach Pat Price has been named the new head basketball coach and director of operations for the Blue Demons Professional Basketball Club in Cork, Ireland.

Price is no stranger to the team having served as their head coach during the 1998-99 season. Under his direction, the club went 20-10 and reached the finals of the Sprite National Cup. The Blue Demons, whose season runs from September to March, compete in the ESB Superleague.

Price was hired at Connecticut College shortly after Lynn Ramage succeeded Glen Miller as head coach in April 1999. During his two seasons on the Camels bench, the team went 37-12.

Former CMS coach dies of cancer
CLAREMONT, Calif. — David Lloyd Wells, 50, former Athletic Director and head men's basketball coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, has died following a long battle with cancer. Wells died July 2 at Mesa Lutheran Hospital in Mesa, Ariz., while in the area to attend a baseball tournament.

Wells is survived by his wife, Jodie Burton (head women's basketball coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), three sons, John, Todd, and Michael; his father and stepmother, John F. and Lois Wells of Sonoma; three brothers, James, Farmington, Timothy, Burbank, and Robert, Albany; two sisters, Mary Wells Cutone, Burbank, and Jane Wells, Vancouver, Washington; and hundreds of student athletes who competed with, for, and against Wells during his 32 years with CMS athletics.

David and Jodie were the only husband-wife team to coach NCAA basketball on the same campus. Memorial arrangements are pending and will be announced by the College.

"In his 32 years as a student, athlete, coach, athletic director, and mentor, David Wells touched the lives of thousands of people in this community," said Pamela Brooks Gann, Claremont McKenna College president. "He was a splendid human being and role model, not just to student athletes and coaches, but to us all. His professional legacy is highlighted by having crafted one of the finest Division III programs in the nation, and by the scores of young athletes who are, quite simply, better human beings for having known David Wells."

A 1972 graduate of Claremont McKenna, Wells set out to teach and was later invited by basketball coach Ted Ducey and athletic director Bill Arce to become assistant basketball coach under Ducey. When Ducey was killed in a tragic flood accident, former CMC president Jack L. Stark tapped Wells to lead the Claremont-Mudd men's basketball team - two years after his graduation from CMC.

While a student at CMC, Wells excelled on the baseball diamond, the basketball court and in the classroom. He earned a variety of awards for his athletic performances in basketball and baseball including Athlete of the Year (1972), the Bill Dickinson Award (1972), and conference honors in baseball as an All-American.

During his 25-year coaching career, Wells' record was 324-292, which included 15 winning seasons and six SCIAC titles. His integrity on the sidelines was matched by his integrity off court. Early in his coaching career, Wells encountered some of his players on a road trip breaking the rules. He shipped the upper-classmen back to campus (most of the starting squad) and played with four starters and one junior-varsity player who lived in San Diego. Two more players made it to San Diego for the second half.

After more than 32 years as a student, coach, and athletic director at CMS, Wells retired in October 2000. At his retirement celebration, attended by coaches, friends, classmates, teammates, players, colleagues and family, his intense but effective coaching style was celebrated by many, who recalled the often-repeated advice of Coach David Wells: "Be quick, but don't hurry."

Vander Muelen retires with 440 wins
WHITEWATER, Wis. — Dave Vander Meulen, men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, announced his retirement July 3, effective immediately.

Vander Meulen joined the Whitewater staff in 1978. In his 23 years he amassed more victories (440) than any other basketball coach at Whitewater, as well as the best winning percentage (440-182, .707). His 23-year tenure surpasses by one the span of Chick Agnew (1920-42) for the longest in school basketball history. Vander Meulen compiled the second most men’s basketball victories in the history of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“I’ve had great support from our university administration, three chancellors, and the athletic administration, including three athletic directors,” Vander Meulen noted. “I’d also like to thank the support personnel throughout the university, in many areas, and the backing of the Tip-Off Club and other boosters. And the support of my family, my wife and daughter, has made it a lot easier.”

“Coach Vander Meulen has done an excellent job in his 23 years at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater,” UW-W chancellor Dr. Jack Miller noted. “While his record can partially be judged by accomplishments such as two national championships, perhaps a better measure is the impact on the students whose lives he has touched and for whom he has provided opportunities. No better example of this can be found than Pat Miller, who has both played for, and coached with, David Vander Meulen.”

Miller, who helped lead Whitewater to the 1989 national championship, was named interim head coach.

Vander Meulen is closing a chapter on a career that includes 40 years of coaching. His first experience in coaching came while an undergraduate at UW-Madison, when he served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin High School in Madison for the 1961-62 school year. After graduation from college Vander Meulen became the head coach at Pittsville (Wis.) High School, where in three years he compiled a 34-23 record, including the 1965 Marawood Conference championship. After Pittsville he moved to Rhinelander High School, where he directed the Hodags to a 62-22 mark in four years, including Wisconsin Valley Conference titles in 1966 and 1969. In 1987 he was elected to the Hodag Hall of Fame. Vander Meulen assumed his first collegiate head coaching position at UW-Whitewater in July 1978.

’This is the ideal time for me to retire,” Vander Meulen said. “after winning an unexpected conference title it makes it sweeter. I’ve don’t believe that I’ve ever had a real job, and I don’t want what I enjoy doing to become a job.”

In his 23 years at Whitewater, Vander Meulen directed the Warhawks to 21 winning seasons, 12 Division III tournament berths (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997), including national titles in 1984 and 1989, and four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships (1984, 1989, 1994, 2001). He mentored 14 all-Americans (Mike Gutter, Andre McKoy, Mark Linde, Dwayne Johnson, Robert Barnes, Duane Vance, Elbert Gordon, Ricky Spicer, James Hodges, Ty Evans, All Wassil, Eric Burdette, James Stewart, and Tirrell Carter), eight of whom were also named WIAC Player of the Year.

Vander Meulen was honored as the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1989, the NABC Regional Coach of the Year five times (1984, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1997), and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in 1984, 1989, 1994, 1997 and 2001.

“I think it was Bill Parcells that said, ‘if you’ve had some success, after a few years the highs are not as high and the lows are lower’, and that is self imposed,” explained Vander Meulen. “I love to compete, especially when it is a hostile atmosphere or environment, which I may create myself, and when I feel I’m at my best — but you can’t do that forever.”

A frequent basketball camp director and clinician throughout the state, Vander Meulen was also asked to conduct camps for boys and girls in Belgium during the summer of 1983 and 1989.

Vander Meulen attended Madison East High School, and graduated from UW-Madison in January 1962 with a degree in physical education. While at UW-Madison he played basketball, two years as a starter at forward, for the Badgers. During his stint as an assistant coach he obtained his master’s degree in physical education in 1968.

Vander Meulen has also served UW-Whitewater as an instructor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching, and for 13 years (1982-95) was an assistant director of admissions.

Vander Meulen and his wife Bonnie, a Whitewater School District employee, are residents of Whitewater, and their daughter Nicki is a recent UW-Madison graduate.

Notables 2003-pres.

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