SAN DIEGO -- Point Loma Nazarene University Director of Athletics Ethan Hamilton has announced the hiring of Bill Carr as men's basketball head coach on Monday. Carr becomes the 13th head coach in the 66-year history of the PLNU basketball program. The Sea Lions currently compete in the NAIA but will apply for membership to the NCAA as a Division II member in June.
Carr brings over 20 years of coaching experience to his new position. He comes to PLNU from the University of San Diego where he spent five years as associate head coach for the NCAA Division I Toreros. As the lead assistant, Carr was involved with recruiting, scheduling, scouting, practice preparation and in-game decision making.
“I am thrilled to have someone of Bill's character and ability lead our program,” said Hamilton, who gave up the men's basketball position to become PLNU's full-time athletic director. “This is a crucial hire as we begin to transition from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II level, and I am excited to have Bill lead us down this road.”
During Carr's tenure at USD the Toreros won the WCC Tournament title in 2008 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. USD beat the University of Connecticut in the first round for the program's first ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Prior to USD, Carr was at UC San Diego where he spent three years as head coach for the Tritons (2004-07). In his second season at the helm, Carr led UCSD to a 15-14 record. It was the first winning campaign for the Tritons since they moved to the NCAA Division II level in 2000.
“I'm excited to take over the PLNU basketball program,” said Carr. “This is a great opportunity for me to work at a terrific institution with quality people and student-athletes. I am looking forward to our remaining time in the NAIA and to helping this team become a power at the NCAA Division II level.”
Carr's resume also includes two seasons as the associate head coach at Long Beach State, and three years as the head coach at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He accumulated a career mark of 84-23 (.785) at Spring Hill and led the Badgers to three appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. In 2000 and 2001, Spring Hill advanced to the NAIA "Elite Eight".
In his first season (1999-00) Carr led Spring Hill to a 29-8 mark, a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) championship and a trip to the NAIA Tournament, where it advanced to the final eight. Carr was named GCAC Coach of the Year that season and was a finalist for the NAIA National Coach of the Year.
As a player, Carr competed for two seasons (1985-87) at the University of San Francisco under coach Jim Brovelli. His first campaign at USF was the "Back to Basketball" group that marked the restart of the program after a three-year hiatus.
Carr earned a degree in accounting at USF and later began his coaching career there, spending nine years as an assistant for Brovelli (five years) and Phil Mathews (four years). He helped recruit and mentor 10 first team All-WCC performers, including the 1998 and 2000 WCC Freshmen of the Year. USF advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 after winning the West Coast Conference Tournament championship.
“I can't wait to get started,” said Carr, who begins immediately. “I met the team and feel fortunate to have so many good players returning. I believe we are going to accomplish a lot of good things together.”
Bill and his wife, Pam, are the proud parents to three children: Allie, Madison and Paul. Allie currently attends USD, while Madison and Paul attend Santa Fe Christian School. The Carr family resides and attends church in Carlsbad.
“I want to commend our search committee for their time and efforts in this recommendation,” Hamilton added. “Bill's basketball experience, coupled with his faith and his desire to help young men grow made him an ideal candidate for PLNU.”
