The University of Central Missouri announced today that Doug Karleskint has been hired as the 24th head men’s basketball coach in the 109-year history of the program.
UCM Athletics Director Jerry Hughes will officially introduce him at a press conference in the UCM Multipurpose Building Alumni Room on Tuesday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m.
"Doug has been a consistent winner everywhere he has been and is the perfect fit for our program and institution," Hughes said. "His success as a head coach and an assistant combined with his personality, work ethic, and class should have Mules fans excited for the future."
Karleskint has compiled a 90-34 record in four seasons as the head coach at Arkansas Tech. His Wonder Boy teams captured four straight conference championships and made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012.
He coached 11 all-conference performers during his tenure at Arkansas Tech, including one Great American Conference (GAC) Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and an All-American.
Prior to his time as head coach, Karleskint served as the top assistant for the Wonder Boys in 2009-10 when the team went 30-2, won the Gulf South Conference title and finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Before ATU, he served two seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks posted a 50-14 record in those two years and won two Southland Conference Regular Season Crowns. They advanced to the NIT in 2007-08 and the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09 after winning the Southland Conference tournament title.
Karleskint was a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri State from 2005-07 and helped the Bearcats to a 46-17 record, an MIAA championship and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Fort Scott, Kan. native earned his bachelor’s degree from Mid-America Nazarene University in 2003. He and his wife, Kyla, have two sons, Jadin and Jackson.
The press conference will be streamed live at UCMathletics.com, it will also be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com. Fans, alumni, and the campus community are welcome to attend the press conference.
Additionally, the public is invited to a reception at Tradition’s Restaurant at the Audrey J. Walton Clubhouse at Pertle Springs at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday night to meet the new coaches.
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