By CODY WORSHAM | Tiger Rag Editor
The latest addition to Will Wade’s staff is a Shocker.
According to a report from Gary Parrish at CBS, LSU is set to bring on Wichita State assistant Greg Heiar in the same role in Baton Rouge, a move Tiger Rag indicated could happen last week.
Heiar, 41, has been Gregg Marshall’s top assistant at Wichita since 2011. The Shockers reached seven straight NCAA Tournaments while Heiar was on staff. He previously spent two seasons as an assistant at Southern Miss and five as head coach at Chipola Junior College in Florida, where he amassed a 164-15 record and won conference coach of the year honors five times.
“It is exciting that Greg Heiar will be joining our staff at LSU,” Wade said in a statement. “His experience and passion for the game both as a top assistant and as a head coach has been proven over and over by being a consistent winner everywhere he has been. His ability to recruit great players at every coaching stop makes him an outstanding fit as we work to put the pieces together for the future success of LSU Basketball.”
At Wichita, Heiar worked with the guards, helping develop Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker into All-Americans. He has a reputation for crafting clever drills and is a highly-regarded player development and defensive-minded assistant. Last summer he had Wichita State players work out with weighted basketballs in full court games of one-on-one. He’s also a well-connected recruiter as well, particularly in the South and at the junior college level.
“I would like to thank Coach Gregg Marshall for the time that I spent at Wichita State and helping put me in the position to have this type of opportunity,” Heiar said in a statement. “This is a great opportunity for me and my family to work with a wonderful, young, energetic and passionate person in Coach Wade and the fabulous staff he is putting together at a University that has so much rich tradition, not only in basketball but in all the sports.
“I’m super excited and looking forward to the challenge that we have in front of us. What a wonderful location to be able to put Coach Wade’s plan in place in front of some great people in Baton Rouge and Louisiana. Coach Wade is someone I have known for a long time and he is someone I respect for his relentless work ethic, energy and knowledge for the game and the family atmosphere approach he preaches daily. Coach Wade is about building strong relationships, is a proven winner and a relentless recruiter. I’m excited to come to work with and for him and his staff.”
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Heiar played four years of college ball – two at Kirkwood Community College and two at Mount Saint Clare, earning all-league honors at both stops.
The Heiar File:
Wichita State – Assistant Coach – 2011-2017
Southern Miss – Assistant Coach – 2009-11
Chipola (Fla.) JC – Head Coach – 2004-09
Chipola (Fla.) JC – Assistant Coach – 2003-04
Loras College (Iowa) – Graduate Assistant/Assistant Coach – 2001-03
Mount St. Clare College (Iowa) – Student Assistant – 2000-01
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