D3hoops.com: Notables

A new staff position aimed at strengthening Whitman athletics goes into effect on July 1 and will be filled by a familiar face, the school has announced. Skip Molitor, the men’s basketball coach and a faculty member in the athletics department for the past 14 years, is resigning those duties to become assistant athletic director in charge of development, community relations and club sports.

The new staff position will "provide substantive support to the athletic director as Whitman implements strategies toward advancing excellence in athletics," provost and dean of the faculty Lori Bettison-Varga said.

Dean Snider, Whitman’s athletic director, said a national search for a new men’s basketball coach is underway.

"After 33 years in the coaching profession, including the last 14 at Whitman, Skip has decided to shift gears and serve our department by stepping into this new role," Snider said. "His professional skill set is one that fits tremendously well with this new staff position. He is a great addition to our athletics leadership team."

Bettison-Varga said Molitor will work alongside Snider in a "position designed to enhance the student-athlete experience through promoting team events, directing club sports and working with volunteer leaders of the newly formed W Club. The W Club was established to enhance excellence in varsity athletics through targeted fundraising initiatives and to better connect alumni, parents, faculty, staff and students to the varsity athletic experience."

"Skip will also serve as women’s varsity golf coach," Bettison-Varga said. "Finally, Skip will provide much-needed leadership for Whitman’s highly successful club sports."

Molitor, a native of Ephrata, Wash., earned his bachelor’s degree in English and education in 1974 at Gonzaga, where he was a two-year starting point guard on the basketball team, earned honorable mention all-conference recognition, and led the Zags in steals and assists. He completed his master’s degree in guidance and counseling at Gonzaga in 1978.

"Last year was the 33rd year of coaching for me, and while it’s something I still enjoy, I want to make the transition away from coaching at a point in my professional life when there is still time to make a real difference with my new responsibilities," Molitor said.

"We’re very excited about having Skip work in the development realm of Whitman athletics," Snider said. "This is an outstanding time for Whitman to bring more focus to bear on further development of our athletic programs. There are many great opportunities to not only broaden our base of resources, but to also create stronger ties to our alumni as well as the Walla Walla community. The potential to create win-win relationships is enormous, and we want to realize as much of that potential as possible."

Whitman, which changed its national athletic affiliation from the NAIA to the NCAA in the mid-1990s, has improved its athletic facilities in a number of areas. The Baker Ferguson Fitness Center, which includes the Paul Harvey Pool, opened in 2006, and renovation of the Sherwood Athletic Center began this year. Earlier improvements include a new indoor tennis facility and outdoor soccer complex.

"As we’ve improved our facilities and made the transition to the NCAA while trying to raise our competitive level, there needs to be a greater commitment to the human infrastructure, and that’s what the college is doing at
this point," Snider said.

Snider, who is finishing his third year as athletics director, said the new staff position is part of wide-ranging effort to provide the best possible program for student athletes. "The pursuit of excellence in athletics at a school of Whitman’s high academic standing requires a multi-faceted approach," Snider said. "This new position is one of the strategies we are implementing."

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