Former Eastern Washington University men's head basketball coach Mike Burns has been hired as an assistant at USD, coach Bill Grier announced yesterday.
Burns, 46, fills an opening created by the departure late last month of Walter Roese, who took an assistant position at Nebraska.
Grier said he considered Burns for the Toreros staff soon after Grier was hired in March 2007, but things didn't work out.
The Grier-Burns connection dates to the mid-1990s, when Grier was an assistant at Gonzaga and Burns an assistant at his alma mater, Central Washington.
Burns spent three years on the Eastern Washington staff of Ray Giacoletti, who replaced Grier at Gonzaga, and one year as an assistant at Washington State before becoming head coach at EWU from 2004 to '07.
Burns-led EWU teams finished 15-15 and 15-14 in his final two seasons, which were led by Rodney Stuckey, the No. 15 selection in last year's NBA draft.
Last season, Burns led Spokane (Wash.) Community College to a 30-2 record. On March 31, Burns was hired as an assistant at the University of Idaho by first-year Vandals coach Don Verlin.
“I felt it was really important to have a seasoned recruiter, yet someone who I knew would mesh with the staff and players,” Grier said. “Mike is a proven recruiter at a lot of levels and he will bring a lot to the table from a practice and preparations standpoint.
“His personality will blend well with our staff and our players will love his enthusiasm for the game. I also know people on campus and in the community will find Mike to be very engaging and genuine.”
Burns called the chance to work for Grier at USD “a personal and professional opportunity that I couldn't pass up.”
Aztecs recruit
Alec Williams, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound power forward from Junipero Serra High in San Juan Capistrano, has given an oral commitment to San Diego State.
Williams, 16, whose stock has been on the upswing since his recent performance at the Pangos All-American Camp in Los Angeles, is the second player to commit to the Aztecs for the 2009-10 season. Brian Carlwell, a 6-11, 265-pound center who spent the past two years at Illinois, has announced his plans to transfer to SDSU.
Staff writer Mick McGrane contributed to this report.
