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| Izzie Metz was 69-62 at Hobart in his first stint as a Division III head coach. |
Wilkes has announced the hiring of Izzi Metz as the Colonels' head men's basketball coach.
Wilkes vice president of student affairs Paul Adams announced
Tuesday the selection of Metz to pilot the Colonels following the
conclusion of an extensive search process. Metz, a coach recently
at Division I Boston College and Hobart, brings a wealth of
coaching experience and a high-octane style of play both on the
offensive and defensive sides of the court.
Metz replaces Jerry Rickrode, who stepped down in March
after 22 seasons, the last two being the only losing seasons of
his career.
"I am thrilled and honored to be the new head men's basketball coach at Wilkes University," Metz said. "I sincerely appreciate this opportunity given to me by president Patrick Leahy, vice president Paul Adams, and athletic director Addy Malatesta. Wilkes is a tradition-rich program that has achieved great regional and national success under Coach Rickrode over the years. I am very excited to start working with our student-athletes to build upon that tradition both on and off the basketball court," he added.
Wilkes went to the Division III Final Four in 1998. The team's last NCAA Tournament trip was in 2001.
Metz comes to Wilkes after three years at Division I and Atlantic Coast Conference member Boston College starting as the director of basketball operations in 2011 before moving to an assistant coach role this past season. While at Boston College, Metz was instrumental in assisting head coach Steve Donahue in all aspects of the program as the Eagles highlighted this past season with a win against then No. 1 and unbeaten Syracuse in mid-February.
Prior to his time at Boston College, Metz served five successful seasons as head coach at Hobart. During his tenure, Metz compiled a 69-62 record and guided the Statesmen to a Liberty League regular season championship and ECAC Upstate tournament title in 2010-11. His team finished with a 21-7 mark, setting the school's single-season record for wins.
In 2009-10, Metz was named Liberty League Coach of the Year as his squad finished 17-11. While at Hobart, Metz's recruiting classes produced three Liberty League Rookies of the Year and a two-time unanimous All-Liberty League selection.
Metz also served as an assistant coach at Division I Cornell under Donohue from 2001-06. As an assistant coach at Cornell, Metz played a key role in the program's resurgence as the Big Red showed steady improvement during his stay earning back-to-back winning seasons in the Ivy League for the first time since 1986-87 and 1987-88.
A 1998 graduate of Hobart with a degree in economics, Metz played basketball for the Statesmen. Following graduation he joined the coaching staff at Bishop Montgomery High School, just south of his native Los Angeles before moving onto Donohue's staff at Cornell.