Jans named head coach at Bowling Green

Mar 24, 2014 - 3:35 PM Bowling Green, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Wichita State associate head coach Chris Jans has been hired as the new head men's basketball coach at Bowling Green, the school formally announced Monday.

Jans served as the lead assistant under Gregg Marshall at Wichita State for the past six seasons and has been a part of the most successful period in program history. The Shockers made a surprise run to the Final Four in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, while this year's squad became the first Division I team to begin a season 35-0 and earned a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.

Wichita State's unbeaten run came to an end with Sunday's 78-76 loss to Kentucky in a third-round matchup in St. Louis.

"Chris Jans is doing the things that we want to do at BGSU," said Bowling Green director of athletics D. Christopher Kingston. "He is a championship coach, a championship recruiter and a championship person. He is absolutely the right fit for Falcon men's basketball. He has the coaching expertise and personality to immediately ignite the players and fan base, as we begin the new era of men's basketball in the Stroh Center under his leadership. I am excited for Chris and his family to join us in Bowling Green, Ohio."

Jans also possesses experience as a head coach at the junior college level at Kirkwood Community College, Howard College and Chipola Junior College. He led Kirkwood to a Division II national championship in 1997-98 and went 32-5 in his lone season at Chipola in 2003-04.

Over six overall seasons as a head coach, Jans compiled a 159-45 record.

Prior to joining Marshall's staff at Wichita State, Jans worked three years as an assistant at Illinois State.

Bowling Green announced on March 11 it would not renew the expiring contract of Louis Orr, who went 101-121 in seven seasons as coach of the Falcons.