CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday named Jim Shaw the head basketball coach, replacing Steve Lutz who left earlier this month after tremendous success in his two seasons.
Shaw was Lutz's top assistant coach during both of Lutz's two seasons at the Island University. The team made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons and won the school's first ever NCAA Tournament game.
The school will hold an introductory news conference Thursday at 11 a.m.
National search for new coach ends at home
When Lutz left for Western Kentucky on March 18, TAMUCC said it was launching a national search for the next head coach but immediately named Shaw as interim head coach.
That laid the groundwork for Wednesday's announcement 11 days later.
"It's an honor to be named the head coach of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program," Shaw said in a university news release. "The Island campus is the premier institution in the state of Texas and I cannot wait to build upon our previous athletic success to highlight all that A&M-Corpus Christi has to offer."
Shaw is a San Antonio native and has spent the majority of his coaching career in the Lone Star State. In his 19 seasons at the Division 1 level, Shaw has coached at Texas Tech, Nebraska, UTEP, Texas State and Tarleton State.
As an assistant for Lutz, Shaw helped the Islanders win the Southland Conference tournament championship the last two seasons, the first back-to-back Southland Tournament champs in 20 years.
In an Instagram story post on Wednesday night, Lutz posted a picture of the news and said, "No 1 more deserving!!!"
Reaction from TAMUCC leaders
"I could not be more pleased with the state of Islanders Basketball and who we have in our next men's head basketball coach," Athletics Director Adrian Rodriguez said in a statement.
This is Rodriguez's first major hire as athletics director. He was promoted on March 14 with the knowledge that Lutz could leave. Later that night, the Islanders won the school's first ever NCAA Tournament game with a 75-71 win over Southeast Missouri State in the First Four. They lost their next game against top-ranked Alabama.
"Jim is a man of great integrity with vast coaching knowledge and a rich understanding of what it takes to be successful in our conference and on the national stage," Rodriguez said. "Jim is a winner and is exactly who we need to lead our program into the future."
"Coach Shaw is committed to maintaining the championship culture that has brought The Island University and the entire Coastal Bend community great pride," added University President Kelly Miller. "We are excited to continue building upon our foundation of success to expand not seasons, but decades."
Shaw has an undergraduate degree in economics from Grinnell (Iowa) College where he played basketball for the Pioneers for four seasons. He later added a master's degree in business administration from UTEP in 2005.
