ROMAR SAYS SAINT LOUIS JOB `A COACH'S DREAM'.Byline: Chris Branam Daily News Staff Writer Lorenzo Romar Lorenzo Romar (born November 13, 1958 in South Gate, California, United States) is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Washington. Romar also played basketball for the University of Washington from 1978 to 1980. said last month he would leave his job as Pepperdine's head men's basketball coach only if an offer was ``very, very special.'' The opportunity to coach in a bigger conference and get a reported annual raise of $375,000 was a special situation. Romar was introduced as the new head coach at Saint Louis University Saint Louis University, mainly at St. Louis, Mo.; Jesuit; coeducational; opened 1818 as an academy, became a college 1820, chartered as a university 1832. Parks College (est. 1927 as Parks College of Aeronautical Technology) in Cahokia, Ill. on Friday, one day after interviewing for the job. ``This, to me, is a coach's dream,'' Romar said in a press conference. ``I said it would take something pretty special to make me leave Malibu.'' Romar, who coached the Waves for three seasons, was making $125,000 at Pepperdine. His SLU SLU Saint Louis University SLU Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, LA, USA) SLU St Lawrence University SLU Suomen Liikunta Ja Urheilu (Finnish Sports Federation) SLU Starting Lineup deal, for a reported six years, would call for an annual salary of $400,000, including shoe and TV-radio deals. Pepperdine's 65-61 loss at Colorado on March 11 in the National Invitation Tournament was the Waves' first postseason appearance in five years. Even though Romar's overall record was sub-.500 (42-44), Pepperdine was 36-23 over the past two seasons. ``It has been a tremendous privilege for me to work at Pepperdine the past three seasons,'' said Romar, who was en route to Tampa, Fla., to attend the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four, in a statement. ``The Pepperdine program is moving forward and the future looks bright. Pepperdine is a special place, and I will be forever thankful for the opportunity.'' John Watson John Watson is a common name. Some of the more notable John Watsons include:
``I felt disappointed but I also felt good for him,'' Watson said. ``Lorenzo is an amazing man. He was so much in harmony with what we are trying to achieve here.'' Romar's departure might have been surprising but the cupboard is not bare. The new coach will inherit a team that lost two significant seniors - Jelani Gardner and Marc McDowell - but returns everyone else. Kelvin Gibbs, a West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection, has two more years. Tommie Prince, the WCC's Defender of the Year, is a former Proposition 16 player who is expected to gain an extra year of eligibility through academic achievement. Top recruit Kevin Bradley, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Compton who is attending Irvine Valley College Irvine Valley College (IVC) is a community college in Irvine, California and it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. Irvine Valley College and its sister college, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, comprise the South Orange County Community College , is expected to start right away as a sophomore. Who will be the choice as the 10th head coach in the 61-year history of the program? Watson said he received 11 faxed resumes Friday from a coaching pool with ``a variety of qualifications.'' Pepperdine assistants Randy Bennett and Darwin Cook both asked Watson to be considered for the job. UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX assistants Michael Holton and Jim Saia are also reportedly interested. Watson said the search should take about two to three weeks. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: ROMAR |
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