Chris Fite, associate men’s basketball coach at IUP, is the new head men’s basketball coach at Shippensburg University, according to Jeff Michaels, director of athletics.

Fite, selected after a national search, becomes the 10th head coach in the team’s history and just the third in 43 years. Rodger Goodling (356-443 record) coached the team from 1970 to 2001 and Dave Springer (144-189 record) coached from 2001 to 2013, a combined span of 1,112 games.

"I am very excited that Chris is joining our department and our program," Michaels said. "He will work effectively with our current student-athletes and also recruit outstanding prospects to help our program be successful. The search committee did an extraordinary job throughout a long process and produced a positive result."

"It is a privilege to be named the new head coach at Shippensburg University," Fite said. "I want to thank Jeff and Carrie Michaels in athletic administration, Dr. Roger L. Serr (university vice president for student affairs), (interim) President (Jody) Harpster and the search committee for providing me and my family with an opportunity to succeed with the Raiders."

Fite served seven seasons as Joe Lombardi’s primary assistant coach at IUP. During that time, the Crimson Hawks compiled a 149-65 record while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons. Last season, IUP was 26-6, won the PSAC Tournament and reached the Atlantic Region championship game. It continued a stretch of four consecutive Top 25 national finishes and PSAC Western Division titles for the Crimson Hawks.

"It’s a fantastic opportunity and I’m still coming to grips with it," Fite said. "The potential is there to win, and the program can turn around and become competitive. Other programs at Ship have had success and there’s no reason that men’s basketball can’t too."

"I was excited about the opportunity before I came to campus and met with administration. Upon arriving to campus, the more people I talked to, the more I encountered a sense of family, community and pride that I felt a connection to."

One of Fite’s specialties is his work on defense. In 2011-12, IUP led the PSAC in scoring defense and ranked second in defensive rebounding. Last season, the Crimson Hawks finished third in the PSAC in scoring defense and third in rebounding margin.

"As an assistant, you work so hard and focus on smaller tasks to help move the program forward," Fite said. "You hope that your hard work and persistence will pay off."

Fite coached nine All-PSAC Western Division athletes with the Crimson Hawks. Among the many talented players Fite has coached is Darryl Webb, the 2011 NABC Division II Player of the Year who graduated as IUP’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker.

"My time at IUP has been great and the success that we have had is well known," Fite said. "The players and their successes have been extremely rewarding. What was especially rewarding was from day one working with Coach Lombardi to change things from the bottom up and revamp the culture. We went from six wins in 2007 to competing for a national title in 2010."

Before arriving at IUP in 2006, Fite spent the 2004-05 campaign at Saint Vincent College in his hometown of Latrobe before returning to his alma mater, the University of Rochester, as an assistant coach for the 2005-06 season.

"The IUP Basketball Family and I are very excited about the announcement of Coach Fite as the next head men’s basketball coach at Shippensburg University," Lombardi said. "Chris has earned the opportunity with the tremendous contributions that he has made to our basketball program over the last seven years. His impact working as a recruiter, with game preparation, and player development were very instrumental in our program winning three PSAC championships in the last four years. Shippensburg is moving forward with a man of great class and integrity who will fit in well with an institution of similar values. He is prepared to be a successful head coach and is ready to lead with a tireless commitment to building a program with student-athletes who will compete on and off the court."

Fite graduated from Rochester in 1992 with a degree in integrated sciences. A 2005 inductee into the Yellow Jackets Hall of Fame, Fite is Rochester’s all-time leading scorer (2,066 points) and shot blocker (179) while ranking second in rebounding (1,023) and field goals made (731).

A 6-foot-9 forward, Fite is a two-time NABC All-American who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1990 NCAA Division III Final Four as a sophomore when Rochester won the Division III title.

His post-collegiate playing career included 11 seasons of professional basketball in Europe, wrapping up in 2003. Fite spent seven years in the British Basketball League, the top professional league in England, before spending one year in the Bundesliga (Germany’s premier league) and his final three seasons in the top division of the Belgian National League.

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