Lindenwood University announced on Monday morning the hiring of Lance Randall as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team. Randall is the program’s 19th head coach and takes over for previous head coach Brad Soderberg.
“Coach Randall has been a consistent winner everywhere he has been and is the perfect fit for our program and institution,” Creer said. “His success as a head coach and an assistant combined with his personality, work ethic, and class should have Lions fans excited for the future.”
Randall is excited to get to St. Charles and start the next coaching chapter of his life.
“I would like to thank President Evans, John Creer, and the entire committee for allowing me the opportunity to take the next phase of leadership for the Lindenwood men’s basketball program,” Randall said. “My wife and I are looking forward to our family becoming a part of the St. Charles community. It is easy to see that Lindenwood is a special place with amazing things takin place in all facets of the campus.”
Randall comes to Lindenwood after spending the last four years as head coach at St. Leo University, where he compiled a record of 78-44 which also included three trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Randall brings over 20 years coaching experience at various levels to Lindenwood and is very familiar with the region, previously serving as an assistant coach at Saint Louis University and as head coach at Webster University.
In Randall’s first year at St. Leo, he led the program to the first winning season in 14 seasons. His immediate and overwhelming success saw him earn Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2012. Randall’s first season on campus also led to the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The following season, Randall piloted St. Leo to the school’s first ever Sunshine State Conference regular season men’s basketball title. During that season, St. Leo upset the ACC champs, the University of Miami Hurricanes, in an exhibition game.
During the 2013-2014 season, St. Leo surpassed the school record for wins in a season with 24. The Lions also advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament and an appearance in the South Regional semifinal.
Before heading to St. Leo, he served as associate head coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Randall helped guide a squad that took home the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship.
He also guided Oshkosh West (Wisc.) High School to consecutive state titles after taking over the program prior to the 2005 season. Randall left an assistant coach position at a Division I school to take over at Oshkosh for his father who had suddenly passed away. In three seasons with the Oshkosh West, Randall led his squad to an impressive 71-3 overall record. His 2006 team posted a perfect 26-0 record on its way to the state title.
Randall is not a newcomer to the St. Louis area. In 1997, he was hired as the head coach of the Webster University Gorlocks. He took over a team that went 2-23 the year before he got there and then turned them into conference champions and NCAA contenders. He led the Gorlocks to the 1999-2000 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. He became the winningest coach in Webster history and was twice named the SLIAC Coach of the Year, leading the program to the best turnaround in the NCAA in all divisions.
After Webster, Randall spent two years as the head coach and vice president of operations for the Pertemps Birmingham Bullets professional team in Birmingham, England. He then returned to the States, making his entrance into the Division I ranks as he joined Brad Soderberg’s staff at Saint Louis University from 2002 to 2004.
Randall is a 1994 graduate of Beloit College with a degree in Government and also holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching, from Webster University. At Beloit, Randall was a two-time basketball team captain as a player.
http://www.lindenwoodlions.com/news/2015/5/11/MBB_0511155041.aspx?path=mbball
Photo Courtesy St. Leo Athletics
