Chatham has announced that David Saur will take over as the head women's basketball coach.
Saur, a graduate of Thiel, also in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, has spent the past two years with Division I Louisiana-Monroe. He replaces Sandy Rectenwald, who resigned in February after seven seasons as head coach. The Cougars were 5-20 this past season.
"My family and I could not be more honored and humbled for this opportunity to join the Chatham University community," Saur said. "President Finegold and (athletic director) Leonard Trevino are tremendous leaders and our visions for this program aligned immediately. We have an amazing product to sell here in our backyard of Western Pennsylvania but just as strongly attract the top student athletes from across the country. I can't wait to get to work with our high-character student-athletes and help build a championship program."
Saur comes to Chatham after finishing his second season with the ULM women's basketball staff. In his first season with the Warhawks as the program's recruiting coordinator, Saur signed nine newcomers for the 2017-18 season.
Saur, who has been the recruiting coordinator at every one of his coaching stops, came to the Bayou State after a one-year stint at UMass Lowell.
Saur was previously at Stetson, where he helped lead the program to the WNIT each of his two seasons there (2013-15). He was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Assistant Coach of the Year by FGBScouting.com, as well as one of the nation's top mid-major assistants. Saur's two years on the staff saw the Hatters produce their winningest two year stretch with 50 wins and 27 overall, 16 league wins from 2013-14 also both program records. In two seasons as the teams recruiting coordinator Saur produced 3 all-freshman team members.
Saur and head coach Jeff Dow worked together during the 2012-13 season at Division II Indiana (Pa.), where the nationally-ranked team finished 23-9 and reached the NCAA Tournament. He served as the recruiting coordinator and post players' coach.
Saur also served on the staff at D-II power California (Pa.) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2011-12. As the recruiting coordinator, he secured a commitment from 3 players who went on to be starters for their 2014 NCAA D2 national championship team, as well as a Division I transfer.
Saur started his career at Thiel, with both the men's and women's programs (2008-2011). While with the men's program in 2010-2011 they recorded a school-record 20 wins and went undefeated in conference play for the first time ever along with having the conference player of the year, coach of the year and two first team all-conference players.
Saur has helped prep many current professional basketball players through skill development workouts in his hometown of Baltimore. Instructing the likes of current Sacramento King Rudy Gay, former Memphis Grizzly Donte Greene, former Indiana Pacer Sam Young, former Detroit Pistons' Kim English and Dajuan Summers.
Saur earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Thiel in 2011 and his master's in sport management from Cal (Pa.) in 2012.