Austin Peay State University head men’s basketball coach Dave Loos will take a leave of absence as he continues chemotherapy for a cancerous lymph node.
July surgery led the removal of a malignant tumor on Loos’ colon and the discovery of a cancerous growth on a lymph node in the area. Loos, who is in his 27th season as head of the men’s basketball program at Austin Peay, has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments since late summer. At this time, it is unknown how long Loos will be away from the program.
“Our primary concern right now is the health of Coach Loos,” said Austin Peay athletics director Ryan Ivey. “Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with him and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
Assistant head coach Jay Bowen, who has been a member of Loos’ coaching staff on three different occasions, will oversee the program in Loos’ absence, beginning with Thursday night’s game at Tennessee Tech.
“I have complete confidence in Coach Bowen and our entire coaching staff to lead our program during this time,” Ivey said. “They are hard-working, intelligent basketball coaches who have the respect of our student-athletes and department and will keep us competing at a high level.”
The fourth-longest tenured coach in Division I, Loos is Austin Peay’s all-time wins’ leader and has led the Govs to four Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championships.
