UW hires Saint Louis coach Lorenzo Romar
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, April 2, 2002
By JANIE Mccauley
Associated Press
SEATTLE – Saint Louis coach Lorenzo Romar is leaving the school to take same job at Washington, the Associated Press has learned.
A source at Saint Louis University’s athletic department said Romar would announce his decision at a news conference there Wednesday evening. Two television stations in St. Louis, KSDK and KTIV, also reported that Romar had accepted the Washington job.
Romar, a starting guard for Washington from 1978-80, interviewed Sunday with Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges, who is seeking a replacement for Bob Bender.
Bender was asked to resign last month after three consecutive losing seasons.
Hedges had already struck out with three other candidates. Missouri’s Quin Snyder pulled his name out of consideration Sunday, while Gonzaga’s Mark Few did the same thing Monday. On Tuesday, Minnesota coach Dan Monson, a former Gonzaga coach, announced he would stay put.
Hedges has not commented on any aspect of the search since it began. At a news conference last month to announce she had asked for Bender’s resignation, she said she would not limit herself and was willing to pay big money for a high-profile coach.
Romar, 43, would know what he’s getting into, having played at Washington and having coached against the Huskies while working as an assistant at UCLA from 1992-96. Romar also is known for his strong recruiting on the West Coast, while Bender’s ability to recruit was often criticized.
Bender’s teams had back-to-back 20-loss seasons for the first time in school history, then finished 11-18 and eighth in the Pac-10 this season.
Romar, who played five seasons in the NBA, has a 93-88 record in six years as a coach.
He took Pepperdine to the National Invitation Tournament in 1999, and his first Saint Louis team swept through the Conference USA tournament to reach the NCAA tournament in 2000.
Romar’s Billikens have gone 51-44 in three seasons, and his past two teams have beaten the Huskies.
He played at Washington as a junior college transfer and was singled out in both seasons as the Huskies’ most inspirational player. In 1979-80, his senior year, he was co-captain and led an 18-10 team into the NIT with an average of 9.3 points and 3.5 assists a game.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
