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WINNIPEG WESMEN COACH STEPS DOWN AFTER 0-16 STREAK

Last Updated: January 15, 2010

WINNIPEG - After losing 16 straight games, the University of Winnipeg Wesmen men's basketball team has now lost its head coach.

Dave Crook stepped aside Tuesday "with the best interests of the Wesmen program in mind," according to a university news release.

The Wesmen, presently 0-11 in Canada West Conference play, have an overall record of 2-18 this season.

Grant Richter takes over on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2009-2010 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) season.

�This was a difficult decision for Dave to make,� said athletic director Doran Reid. �For the sake of the team he felt it was time to make a change.

"Dave remains committed to the Wesmen program and will continue to lend his expertise and experience in assisting the university to move forward with its athletics and recreation programming.�

Crook will take on new duties within the department of kinesiology and the department of athletics as the university begins its search for a new permanent head coach.

"It's been a long, hard struggle, and hopefully things will just turn out for the kids," Crook told the Winnipeg Sun. "That's my No. 1 concern.

"... The basketball program will always have a big part of my heart."

Crook, a Winnipegger who graduated from Elmwood High School, began coaching the Wesmen as an assistant under Bruce Enns. After positions with Mount Allison and Lethbridge, Crook returned to Winnipeg to become the Wesmen head coach in the 2001-2002 season. This year marked his ninth campaign as Wesmen head coach and his 26th year of coaching.

Richter is a 20-year coaching veteran who is presently the head coach of the University of Winnipeg Collegiate Varsity Boys' Team. He's a University of Winnipeg graduate and was an assistant coach with the Wesmen from 1992-1998 under Bill Wedlake.

Richter also has five years of professional basketball coaching experience with the Winnipeg Cyclone as an assistant to both Bill Klucas and Darryl Dawkins along with one year as head coach.

The Cyclone played in the International Basketball Association (IBA) beginning in the 1995-96 season until the league ceased operations after the 2000-2001 season.

(with information from the University of Winnipeg)

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