ERIE, Pa. - Gannon head men's basketball coach
John T. Reilly has announced the addition of Tom Church to the program's coaching staff. Church replaces Tim Fralick, who resigned in June to accept a head coaching position at Ashland (Ohio) High School.
Church comes to Gannon after spending the last three seasons as the top assistant coach at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. The Pumas finished 20-12 last season, culminating with a Midwest Regional Championship and a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The program won all three regional games by two points or less with two being decided in overtime. It remains the only eighth seed to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight since seeding began in 1994.
“I am very excited to become part of Gannon Athletics,” said Church. “I consider Gannon to be one of the best Division II programs in the country and my goal is to help continue the winning tradition.”
St. Joseph's produced a 53-36 record, qualified for three Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournaments and advanced to a pair of NCAA Tournaments (2008 and 2010) under Church's assistance.
“Tom brings a wealth of coaching and recruiting experience to our program,” noted Reilly. “He has been part of a successful program that advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. We are excited to have him join our staff.”
A Conneaut, Ohio native, Church previously served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Hiram College. He began his coaching career at Conneaut (Ohio) High School, where he was the head coach for two seasons.
Church is a 2003 graduate of Ashland University, where he was a teammate of St. Joseph's head coach Richard Davis for two years, and was also coached by Davis for one year. He was a four-year letterwinner and two-time Academic All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree, as well as being the team's captain as a senior.
An All-Ohio first-team selection at Conneaut (Ohio) High School, Church was named Conference Player of the Year as a senior. He concluded his high school career as the third-leading scorer in Conneaut history.
Church graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from Ashland in 2003, and earned a Master's of Education in Administration degree, also from Ashland, in 2006.
