OBU Basketball Coaches

April 12, 2001
Schaef named men's basketball coach


	Charlie Schaef is the new head coach of Ouachita Baptist University men's basketball team.

Charlie Schaef, the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year for the 2000-2001 season, has been named head men's basketball coach at Ouachita Baptist University.

"Charlie Schaef's teams have had great success both on and off the court," said Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, president of Ouachita. "He's been in winning programs throughout his coaching career, and his focus on academics and Christian faith fit perfectly with Ouachita's mission."

Schaef, 31, became head coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1999. The Boll Weevils led the GSC in scoring during the 1999-2000 campaign as they captured 10 wins, the most at UAM in five years. Picked to finish seventh of the nine teams in the Western Division of the GSC in the coaches' preseason poll, the Boll Weevils won the division. The team's 20-8 record represented the most wins at UAM in 10 years, and the division title was the first outright men's basketball championship at UAM since the 1955-56 season.

Schaef has been selected to coach the 2001 USA Athletes International team in Holland this summer. Previous to his work in Monticello, Schaef had been an assistant basketball coach at West Texas A&M University, where he served as recruiting coordinator and floor coach for four seasons. He also has coached at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, and the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas.

"Charlie presents the whole package as a basketball coach," said David Sharp, director of athletics at Ouachita. "He's an excellent tactician, and his recruiting ability and rapport with student-athletes is tremendous. The search committee also was impressed by his concern about the academic progress of his players and his interest in coaching at a church-related university."

Schaef was born in Canadian, Texas. He was a three-sport letterman in basketball, football and golf at Canadian High School. He has a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and a master's from Pittsburg State University (Kansas).

-by Jeff Root