Thomas More athletic director Terry Connor announced March 23 that men's basketball coach Drew Cooper has resigned to take the same position at Division II Kentucky Wesleyan.
"The last five years have been my pleasure," Cooper said. "To be able to coach the quality of kid that I've coached here at Thomas More, and to be around some of the professionals I have, it has been a time of my life I'll never forget. To say I'm grateful for the opportunity that president David Armstrong and director of athletics Terry Connor have given me here would be an understatement. I'm very proud of what we've done on the floor, but to see each student-athlete grow, evolve, and mature as an individual has been what I'll remember most."
Cooper had a 94-46 record in five seasons leading the Saints and leaves with the third most wins in the 65-year history of the program. He guided Thomas More to a share of the 2017 Presidents' Athletic Conference regular season title, the outright title this past season and the 2017 and 2018 PAC tournament titles, while advancing to the Division III NCAA Tournament. Cooper earned PAC Coach of the Year honors twice and also had a student-athlete named PAC Player of the Year in 2018.
They are the last championships Thomas More will win in the PAC, as the school leaves the conference at the end of the 2017-18 academic year. The Saints will compete as a Division III independent in 2018-19, with their future affiliation unknown.
Thomas More will conduct a national search to replace Cooper.