Degroot’s short stint comes to an end

Vanguard University men’s basketball coach Jim Degroot resigned from

his first collegiate head coaching position Monday having never

coached a game for the Lions.

In a released statement, the university said Degroot’s decision

was made because of personal and family concerns. He is a single

father of two children.

“This was a difficult decision forJim,” Vanguard Athletic Director

Bob Wilson said. “Jim is a principled and character based person with

the conviction that his family is his first priority. He believes

that the time commitment he needed to invest to build a quality

basketball program at Vanguard was too much to ask of his family

members. Therefore, he has asked to be relieved from his position.”

Hired in April, after Vanguard endured a 7-24 season under former

coach Stephen French and Wilson, who took over on an interim basis to

finish the season, Degroot leaves the school without the chance to

improve on that mark. The university is expected to announce plans

today for the upcoming season.

Degroot, originally from Costa Mesa, formed a relationship with

Wilson while playing under him at Phillips University in Oklahoma and

at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, earning NAIA all-American honors

as a point guard.

“The No. 1 reason I came to coach at Vanguard is Bob Wilson,”

Degroot said at the time of his hiring last April. “He’s been a loyal

guy to me. He helped me get through school. He’s been a big influence

for me. If it was any other place I would not coach.”

Degroot later became an assistant coach at Hawaii-Hilo before

going into ministry-type work in Montana. His other experience

included managing the Jim Degroot Basketball School and active

involvement with the NBC basketball camps and Varsity Academy.