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Louis Orr Named Men's Basketball Coach at BGSU
April 4, 2007 Bowling Green, Ohio - Bowling Green State University has named Ohio native Louis Orr as head men's basketball coach, BGSU Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher has announced. Orr, who grew up in Cincinnati, is the 15th head coach in Falcon men's basketball history. His wife, Yvette, is from nearby Ypsilanti, Mich. "My family and I are very excited about this new chapter in our life," said Orr. "We have a unique opportunity to do what we love and at the same time share this with those who are closest to us. It is the perfect situation. Through the process, I have been tremendously impressed with the quality of the individuals who care about the program and the kindness they have extended to my family." A fierce competitor and defensive-minded coach who stresses toughness and humility, Orr's programs play in the same image that he projected as a collegiate All-American and as an eight-year NBA veteran. "I am excited to welcome Louis and his family to BGSU," said Christopher. "He has a passion for coaching and teaching young men that is evident. It is that inner drive that he was able to share with us during this process that gives me great confidence that we have attracted an individual to our campus who will mentor and develop champions both on the court and in life." Orr, 48, most recently was the head coach at Seton Hall University, where he compiled a record of 80-69 in five seasons (2001-06) for the Pirates and is 100-80 in six overall seasons as a head coach. He was the first former Big East player to coach at a conference institution.
"Louis is a person of absolute integrity and high character and he has the background we were seeking," said Christopher. "Through our conversations over the last two weeks, Louis stood out as the right person to lead our student-athletes. He has played and coached successfully at the highest levels and we now look to him to share those experiences with the young men who compete for BGSU." Orr takes over a BGSU program that will return 10 of its top 12 scorers from the 2006-07 season, with nine of those players entering their sophomore or junior seasons. "When you see that there have been just three coaches in 30 years, it shows that this must be a special place," said Orr. "There is an outstanding group of young men here who are eager to continue their journey as student-athletes and I am anxious to begin working with them as we move toward a common goal of winning a MAC Championship." He was named the Big East Conference's Coach of the Year in 2003 becoming the first person in league history to receive league honors as a player and as a coach and took the Pirates to two NCAA tournaments and one NIT. After the 2002-03 season, Orr also was honored by the USBWA as its District II Coach of the Year. During his tenure with the Pirates, his teams posted a nine-game overall winning streak and captured eight straight conference games during the 2002-03 season. He also saw his squad defeat #10 Notre Dame in 2003, and #13 Syracuse, #23 Providence and #4 Pittsburgh during the 2004 season. The Pirates advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships in 2004 and knocked off #18 Arizona in the first round. In 2006, Seton Hall made its second trip to the "Big Dance". He began his head coaching career in the 2000-01 season at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. In his lone season there (2000-01), he guided the Saints to a 20-11 overall record and a tie for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season title. In addition, he was one of the top rookie coaches in college basketball with 20 wins and his team set an attendance record averaging 6,400 fans per game. Orr began his coaching career as an assistant under Pete Gillen at Xavier University in his hometown, spending four years there (1991-94). He also served assistant-coaching stints at Providence College (1994-96) and Syracuse (1996-2000), helping those three teams to a combined four NCAA tourney appearances and four NIT trips. SU went to the NCAA tourney three times (1998 through 2000) during his four years there, including two trips to the 'Sweet 16.' Orr, a star player out of Cincinnati's Withrow H.S., attended Syracuse University, where he was the first recruit of head coach Jim Boeheim. Orr was a sixth man for much of his freshman year (1976-77), before starting every game but one over his last three seasons. Orr shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of his four years, teaming with Roosevelt Bouie (the 'Bouie 'N Louie Show') to help SU to the Big East regular-season championship in the conference's inaugural season in 1980. That season, his senior year, Orr was named the team's MVP and was an All-Big East First-Team selection. SU posted a record of 100-18 during his four years, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons. Orr earned All-America honors his senior season. He scored nearly 1,500 points (1,487) during his SU career, averaging 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over his 116-game career while shooting 55.5% from the field. The 28th pick of the 1980 NBA Draft, Orr was chosen by the Indiana Pacers in the first round. He played two seasons with the Pacers and six more with the New York Knicks. Orr averaged 9.8 points per game over his professional career, with a career-high 12.7 ppg. for the Knicks in the 1984-85 campaign. He was named to the Syracuse University All-Century Team in 2000 and was honored as a Syracuse Letterwinner of Distinction in 2006. He and his teams are also active in the community having worked with Renovation House, Children's Specialized Hospital and the New Jersey Developmental Center during his stay at Seton Hall. He also has assisted at Rescue Missions in Albany and Syracuse, New York. His family includes Yvette, daughter Monica (24), a former basketball player at Fordham, goddaughter Dalria (24), and son Chauncey (14). THE ORR FILE |
