Angres Thorpe to Remain with Billikens
May 10, 2007 ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis head men's basketball coach Rick Majerus today announced that Angres Thorpe will remain with the Billikens as an assistant coach. After five seasons as an assistant coach at SLU, Thorpe was named interim head coach during the search that yielded Majerus as the Billikens' head coach. "Angres is a proven commodity with the loyalty he has shown to the players and the University," Majerus said. "He handled a difficult situation with a tremendous amount of class. He is an excellent coach and recruiter, and I'm ecstatic that he will be staying with us. He has a passion for basketball and a good feel for the game. "It will be especially gratifying for the players because Angres has been their go-to guy as well as someone who has made demands on them," Majerus continued. "He will feel comfortable continuing to do that as we take the program in a new direction. Angres will an asset to our recruiting because he has the respect of coaches and teams well beyond a 100-mile radius around the University." Thorpe served as the Billikens' lead assistant in 2006-07, helping the team to a 20-13 record and a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals. He was a key member of the staff that increased the Billikens' local recruiting presence, securing Luke Meyer, Tommie Liddell, Kevin Lisch, Dustin Maguire and Anthony Mitchell over the last four years. Thorpe came to Saint Louis after two seasons at Ball State, where he helped the Cardinals to a 23-12 record in 2001-02 and a trip to the NIT. From 1996 to 2000, he was an assistant at Lewis (Ill.) University, during which time the Flyers made two trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Thorpe began his career as a graduate assistant at Loras (Iowa) College, where he worked from 1993 to 1996.
"I am looking forward to working with Coach Majerus and the rest of the staff," Thorpe said. "We have everything we need to make Saint Louis a perennial top 25 program, and I can benefit greatly from continuing as part of this staff." After a standout career at Chicago's Fenwick High School, Thorpe was a four-year letterman at St. Leo (Fla.) College where he earned a bachelor's degree in business management in 1990. -- www.slubillikens.com -- |
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