Shepherd University’s men’s basketball coach Ken Tyler announced that he will be leaving at the end of July to accept a position as athletic director at West Virginia Wesleyan.  Tyler thanked his wife of 13 years and two children for their support.  He also thanked his coaching staff, players, supporters in the community and friends on the faculty and staff at the University.

Tyler said the decision to leave was difficult, but that he is proud to have had a more than 90% graduation rate for his players, back-to-back winning seasons to finish his career at Shepherd and to have changed the perception of the Shepherd basketball program within the community.

Tyler then announced that Assistant Coach Justin Namolik would serve as interim head coach for the 2008-2009 season.  Namolik says he hopes to have a smooth transition into his new role and wants to make the change as easy as possible for the team.  He told WEPM that he will also continue recruiting for next year’s squad, and does not forsee any major changes to the line-up or goals of the team.

Tyler said his final function as head coach will be to hold the fundamentals first camp at Shepherd in July.  He leaves for Athletic Director Orientation July 29^th and 30^th then begins work as athletic director on August 1^st.  He said as a native of Jefferson County and the Eastern Panhandle, he will always be a Shepherd Ram in his heart.

Categories: Local Sports
Tags: basketball, Namolik, NCAA, Shepherd University, Tyler, United Way