Apr 15, 2007, 2:05 GMT
Rock Hill, SC - Winthrop announced Saturday that Randy Peele has been named head men's basketball coach.
The four-year Winthrop assistant replaces Gregg Marshall, who accepted the head coaching position at Wichita State earlier Saturday afternoon.
'To be named the head coach of Winthrop University is an honor,' Peele said. 'I want to thank Dr. (Anthony) DiGiorgio and (athletic director) Tom Hickman for having the confidence in me to lead this program into the future. What has been accomplished here in the last nine years is remarkable and just speaks volumes for Coach Marshall, the staff, the players and the administration. We will do everything possible to maintain the benchmark that has been set.'
Winthrop has earned three straight Big South Conference championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four years. The Eagles became both the first team in conference history to finish the regular season undefeated (14-0), and the first to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game with a 74-64 victory over Notre Dame on March 16.
'President DiGiorgio and I felt that in Randy Peele we have the best coach right here to build on the success and tradition of our men's basketball program,' Hickman said. 'Randy Peele has been an integral part in that success and we believe the future of Winthrop basketball will continue to flourish under his leadership.'
Prior to his time at Winthrop, Peele was the head coach at UNC-Greensboro from 1995-99, earning the Big South Conference crown in '96. With four years as an assistant at UNC-G (1991-95), Peele's collegiate coaching experience also includes stints at Virginia Tech (1999-2002), Campbell (1988-1991), Tennessee- Martin (1985-88), and St. Michael's College in Vermont (1983-1985).
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