After 21 years, the head coach of the men's basketball team at Augustana College has decided to retire. Coach Grey Giovanine made the announcement Tuesday night.
He posted a record of 433 wins and 150 losses, won ten conference championships, and led his team to the Division III tournament ten times.
"When you reach a certain age you begin to see that you're at the tail end of things, and so many different factors play into it but it's certainly not something I entered into quickly or lightly."
Giovanine says coaching college basketball, even at the Division III level, is a 12-month job, including recruiting year-round, spring practice, summer basketball camps, and then the 25-game season.
"It's the longest of all intercollegiate seasons. We start in mid-October and we typically haven't been ending until mid-March. So you're talking about five months of just non-stop, super intense time and I do think that takes a toll on you."
He came to Augustana after six seasons as head coach at Lamar University - a Division I school in Texas.
His immediate plans are to take some time to "de-compress" and get used to retirement, and explore a couple of what he calls "professional opportunities."
Augustana plans a nationwide search to find his replacement.