One of the sport’s all-time winningest and most accomplished coaches, Lorenzo Romar, has been hired to join Stan Johnson‘s staff ahead of the 2024-25 season. Romar’s track record as one of the most respected and successful people in the business will bring a new look to the LMU sidelines going forward.
“Coach Romar is one of the most respected coaches in all of college basketball,” said Johnson. “His 467 wins speak for themselves. But more importantly, his character separates him from the rest. His love for his players is remarkable. His humility as a man and coach is unmatched. He is one of the best recruiters in our game and his track record demonstrates that. His impact on me, our staff, our players and the LMU community will be special. I’m proud to be able to work alongside Coach Romar. His willingness to come and be a part of what we are trying to accomplish speaks volumes about LMU as a whole. This is a massive get for us.”
Romar has deep familiarity with both Southern California and the West Coast Conference. Most recently, Romar is coming off his second stint as the Head Coach of Pepperdine, but also helped take UCLA to four NCAA Tournaments in four years and won the 1995 NCAA Championship as an Assistant Coach.
As a head coach, he’s had 18 players taken in the NBA Draft. As either a head coach or an assistant, he’s worked with 27 future NBA Draft picks.
Romar’s 467 wins rank inside the top-100 all-time for most career coaching wins by a head coach at the Division I level.
“I am ecstatic about joining LMU and the basketball program there,” said Romar. “I am excited to go to work for Coach Johnson as I have always respected him as an outstanding human being. After competing against their teams and watching their teams, I have great respect for him as a basketball coach. I come to LMU with my servant’s hat on to try to help LMU basketball reach its potential. I am grateful for this opportunity.”
Additional accolades in Romar’s decorated career include winning the Pac-10/Pac-12 regular season twice (2009, 2012), winning the Pac-10/Pac-12 Tournament three times (2005, 2010, 2011), being named Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times (2005, 2009, 2012), and winning the Conference USA Tournament (2000).
As the Head Coach of Washington, the Huskies played in six NCAA Tournaments, three NITs and one CBI, and won 298 games. As the Associate Head Coach at Arizona, the Wildcats won 27 games in 2017-18, swept the Pac-12 regular season and tournaments titles, and Romar returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 12thtime in his career.
During his tenure in Seattle, Huskies received all-conference honors on 21 occasions with ten all-freshmen selections. Romar coached several future NBA players including Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Dejounte Murray, Quincy Pondexter, Terrence Ross, Spencer Hawes, Marquisse Chriss, and top-overall pick Markelle Fultz.
A native of Compton, California, Romar graduated from Pius X High School and earned an associate’s degree from Cerritos (Calif.) Community College in 1980. During his sophomore year, he set a school record for single-season assists and earned all-league first team honors.
He went on to play at Washington, where he would be a two-year starter at point guard and was the team captain as a senior in 1979-80. He led UW in assists both seasons and averaged 9.3 points as a senior as the Huskies made the NIT. He was the recipient of the team’s Most Inspirational Award both years.
He was selected in the seventh round of the 1980 NBA Draft (141st overall) by the Golden State Warriors. He would go on to play five seasons in the NBA with Golden State, Milwaukee, and Detroit. He had totals of 1,731 points (5.9 average) and 1,022 assists (3.5 average) during 291 career regular-season games.
Romar earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from University of Cincinnati in 1992. He and his wife Leona have three daughters – Terra, Tavia, and Taylor – and they also have three grandchildren.
Loyola Marymount adds former Pepperdine Head Coach Romar to Basketball Staff
