May 29, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese has announced the hiring of Rhet Wierzba as the team's new Director of Basketball Operations. Wierzba will handle the day-to-day operations of the team.
"We're ecstatic to have Rhet join our program," said Frese. "His knowledge and previous experience as director of basketball operations, and his ability to relate with student-athletes will make the transition a smooth one."
"I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Coach Frese and the rest of the staff," said Wierzba. "To have the chance to work with a national championship team is an amazing opportunity and I am looking forward to it."
Wierzba's responsibilities also include coordinating team travel, scheduling practice time and managing camps. He will also be the liaison to Academic Support and Career Development. He replaces Mark Pearson, who spent six seasons on Frese's staff, which also included a year at Minnesota.
A native of Illinois, Wierzba completed his second season at the University of Evansville, serving as the director of basketball operations for the Purple Aces' men's squad. He also spent a short period of time as the squad's interim assistant coach. Among his various responsibilities as director of basketball operations were handling the team's travel, monitored the players' academic performance and was the camp director of the team's summer camps.
Graduating summa cum laude with a degree in business management from Austin Peay in 2004, Wierzba was a four-year letterwinner in basketball from 2001-04. In his final two seasons as team captain, he helped the Governor's win back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference titles. Following graduation, Wierzba played basketball professionally in Mexico and Canada.
After his stint as a professional basketball player, Wierzba hung up his sneakers and joined the Austin Peay coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2004. In that position, he assisted with on-court player development, recruiting and planning the team's travel, while completing his master's degree in Science in Health and Human Performance in 2005.
Wierzba received numerous honors while at AP. He was the recipient of the department's Joy Award, presented to the Most Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete in 2004. He was an Honorable Mention Academic All-American from 2002-04 and was twice Austin Peay's Male Scholar-Athlete and an OVC Scholar-Athlete in 2004.
Wierzba was a member of numerous honor societies and was the school's Vice President and President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2003 and 2004. He received the conference's Medal of Honor in 2001 and 2004 for achieving the top grade point average and earned the Dr. Leon Bibb Postgraduate Scholarship.
Wierzba played high school basketball at Farmington High where he was a valedictorian, National Merit semifinalist and Illinois State Scholar.
The Terrapins return four starters from last season's team, which went 28-6. Maryland opens the season in the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 9. For season ticket information, visit the Comcast Center Ticket Office web page here.
-TERPS-
