Monmouth has selected UW-Whitewater assistant Todd Skrivseth to become the 26th head coach in the history of the Fighting Scots men's basketball program.

Skrivseth was Whitewater's top assistant and had been with the Warhawks since 2001, also serving the school as the athletic department recruiting coordinator. The 1996 Coe graduate's previous assistant coaching stops included UW-Stevens Point and Upper Iowa.

He replaces Mark Vershaw, who was 23-67 in four years at Monmouth.

"I really enjoyed my time at Whitewater," said Skrivseth. "It had to be a special opportunity to lure me away and Monmouth is that. The facilities at Monmouth are outstanding and the athletic department is extremely strong. After meeting with the people on campus, I knew this is where I wanted to be. The people sold me on Monmouth and I'm very excited to get started."

Skrivseth takes over a Monmouth program that has won seven conference titles in its 111-year history, but none since 1990. The first-year head coach is no stranger to success. While on the UW-Whitewater staff, the school produced four All-Americans and made three NCAA tournament appearances. The team also recorded seven 20-win seasons in the last nine years.

Monmouth's new mentor was chosen after an extensive search that netted more than 200 applicants for the job. In the end, it was Skrivseth's overall package of experience with successful programs and detailed plans for the men's team both on and off the court that tipped the scales his way.

"We're excited about his overall plan for the basketball program," said Roger Haynes, MC's director of athletics. "He was very specific with a recruiting plan as well as an academic plan for the team. It's more than just on-court things that separated him from the others. It was the overall package. Todd presented a solid plan in all the areas we were looking for. His presentation of his vision was impressive."

As a three-year letterwinner at Coe, Skrivseth played against the Scots six times when Coe was a member of the Midwest Conference. Monmouth won four of the six meetings under longtime coach Terry Glasgow and that helped to influence Skrivseth's decision to take over the Fighting Scots.

"We always knew we were in for a battle when we faced a Terry Glasgow team, especially in Glennie Gym," said Skrivseth. "One of our goals is to restore Fighting Scots basketball to the strong tradition they had under Coach Glasgow. Teams had to come here and play at a high level.

"We will understand the approach necessary to compete at a high level," he continued. "Every day is an opportunity to better ourselves as a team and work toward our goals. We must fully invest ourselves in the process this offseason. We will play an uptempo and aggressive style of basketball on both ends of the floor."

A native of Maquoketa, Iowa, the 38-year old Skrivseth will begin his duties April 25.