Jim Christian named men's basketball head coach

Fort Worth, TX

3/31/2008

TCU athletics director Danny Morrison has announced the hiring of Jim Christian as head men’s basketball coach.
 
Christian comes to TCU after serving the last six years as head coach at Kent State, where he won at least 20 games each season and compiled a record of 138-58 (.704) for the highest winning percentage in Mid-American Conference history. Christian led the Golden Flashes to five postseason appearances, including NCAA Tournament trips in 2006 and 2008.
 
Kent State was 28-7 this season as it earned the first top-25 ranking in school history, peaking at No. 23 by the Associated Press and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Christian was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in the last three seasons.
 
The 2007-08 campaign saw the Golden Flashes make their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years. Kent State’s No. 9 seed this season was its highest seed in the school’s NCAA Tournament history.
 
“I am very appreciative of Chancellor Boschini and Dr. Morrison for this wonderful opportunity,” Christian said. “TCU’s tremendous commitment to having a successful basketball program and its first-class facilities are what made this position so attractive to me.
 
“There’s a lot of momentum at TCU, and I’m extremely excited to be a part of it. Fort Worth, fertile recruiting in the Metroplex and Texas, and the competitiveness of the Mountain West Conference are part of many positive aspects of this job. I feel extremely fortunate to be a Horned Frog and can’t wait to get started.”
 
Christian’s teams have excelled in conference play. The Golden Flashes were 79-28 (.738) in the MAC over his six seasons as head coach, including a 40-10 (.800) mark the last three campaigns. Kent State was also 71-14 (.835) under Christian at home with a 16-0 record this year.
 
In just six seasons, Christian climbed to second place on Kent State’s career victories list (138). During his tenure, the Golden Flashes posted 14 winning streaks of at least five games.
 
Kent State is one of only six schools in the nation to currently have 10 straight 20-win seasons. The others are Duke, Kansas, Florida, Gonzaga and Creighton.
 
“Jim Christian is a proven head coach and a perfect fit for TCU,” Morrison said. “He was targeted early in the process, and we couldn’t be happier to have him as our head men’s basketball coach.
 
“The search process confirmed how coaches view this as an attractive position. They see the commitment we have for all sports and the opportunity for success in men’s basketball.
 
“We have a slam dunk with Jim Christian joining the TCU family.”

Visit the TCU Athletics web site for the full story.