San Francisco names Walters coach

Apr 14, 2008 - 11:00 PM SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- After a trying season that included a taste of history, San Francisco has settled on a new coach.

The Dons named former NBA player Rex Walters their new men's basketball coach on Monday.

Walters comes to San Francisco after spending two seasons with Florida Atlantic, going 31-33 with the Owls.

The Dons are coming off their third losing season that included a mid-season leave of absence by Jessie Evans. Legendary coach Eddie Sutton joined the team on an interim basis, winning career game No. 800 on February 2 before San Francisco finished with a 10-21 mark.

The Dons have had only 12 20-win campaigns since they won consecutive NCAA titles behind Bill Russell in 1955-56.

"The University of San Francisco has a tremendous legacy of achievement on and off the court and I look forward to working with the student-athletes and administration," Walters said. "I would like to thank the committee and USF for this once in a lifetime opportunity."

Despite the poor record, Walters will have the top scorer from the West Conference Conference at his disposal in forward Dior Lowhorn, who averaged 20.5 points this season.

A NBA player for seven seasons with New Jersey, Philadelphia and Miami, Walters served as an assistant under Homer Drew at Valparaiso before getting the job at Florida Atlantic.