Santa Clara announced Friday that former UCLA assistant coach Kerry Keating was hired as the new men’s basketball coach. Keating takes the place of Dick Davey, who retired from the position after 15 seasons.
Keating spent four years as an assistant coach for the Bruins, with the basketball team going 91-41 during his time with the program.
Keating originally began coaching as a student assistant coach at Seton Hall. After leaving the Pirates, he put time in at Wake Forest, Appalachian State, Vanderbilt, Tulsa and Tennessee all before joining the Bruins for his most recent stint.
There are some big shoes to fill for Keating in his new role at Santa Clara, replacing a coach in Davey, who won the West Coast Conference coach of the year honors and took home three consecutive conference championships in the ’90s. Davey retired with an overall record of 251-90.
Before heading to Santa Clara, Keating had been linked to the opening at Long Beach State, even being offered the job according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Keating is the second assistant in a row to leave UCLA for a head coaching position.
Last July, former Bruin assistant coach Ernie Ziegler took the coaching role at Central Michigan.
MEN’S GOLF HEADED TO GEORGIA: No. 8 UCLA heads to the United States Collegiate Championship hosted by the Golf Club of Georgia to face one of the strongest fields they will see all season. The 15-team event begins Monday and concludes Wednesday and will pit 13 teams ranked in the most recent Golf Coaches Assocation of America’s top-25 poll. UCLA and rival USC are the only teams to represent the Pac-10 in the prestigious event.
The Bruins’ lineup is hoping to get a boost with the return of junior Daniel Im, who missed the team’s last event. Im, the reigning Pac-10 individual champion, comes back into the fold to the excitement of the rest of his team.
“We are excited to have Daniel back in the lineup, and he is eager to compete,” coach O.D. Vincent told UCLABruins.com.
FORMER BRUIN COMES UP BIG: Former UCLA swimmer Kim Vandenberg brought home a silver medal at the World Swimming Championships a little over a week ago. The medal was the first for the 16-time All-American, as she came in second in the 200-meter butterfly on March 29th in Melbourne Australia.
Vandenberg was in close competition with Australian record-holder Jessicah Schipper for the gold. In the end, Schipper edged Vandenberg by three-tenths of a second to bring home the win.
Compiled by Bobby Gordon, Bruin Sports senior staff.