USD Men's Basketball 2008-2009

BILL GRIER SecondSeason as Head Coach

Bill Grier, 45, enters his second year as head coach of the USO men's basketball program. In just his first season at the helm of the Torero pro– gram, Grier led Torero basketball to heights never reached before. USO became the first San Diego Division I team to win an NCAA Tournament contest when it handed No.4 seed Connecticut a 70-69 overtime loss on March 21st. Following a hard-fought 2nd round loss to Western

Kentucky, USO closed out its season with an overall record of 22-14, includ– ing a 15-4 mark following the start of league. Following its 11-3 West Coast

Conference finish, good for 3rd place, the Toreros won the WCC Tour– nament with wins over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga. In addition to its outstanding road win over the Kentucky Wildcats at historic Rupp Arena in late December, the Toreros combined to knock off three top-20 teams (Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and UConn).Grier has the luxury of returning his entire squad for the 2008-09 campaign, in addition to welcoming his second recruiting class. Hired on March 26, 2007, Grier became USD's 11th head coach in program history and just the 4th coach since USO moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80. Prior to his arrival at USO, Grier was at Gonzaga University for sixteen years, the last eight as top assistant to head coach Mark Few. He immediately went to work on putting his personal stamp on Torero basketball. After assembling an outstanding staff, and getting acquainted with USD's returning players, he went to work on recruiting and putting together arguably USD's toughest schedule ever. "We were searching for a person with an over– whelming drive to succeed," said Ky Snyder, USD Executive Director of Athletics."We found that and much more in Bill Grier. The people I talked with across the country, people who I greatly respect, had nothing but praise for Bill - a great person and family man, a teacher who is great at individual workouts, a tireless worker, demanding on the court but also with success in the classroom, a great recruiter, thorough in his approach, ready to become a head coach. It is with great pleasure that I am able to introduce the man that fits all of these descriptions as our new head men's