The University of Akron Athletics
Jeff Boals Promoted To Associate Head Coach
September 02 | Men's Basketball
– University of Akron head men's basketball coach Keith
Dambrot announced on Tuesday that assistant coach Jeff
Boals has been promoted to the position of associate head
coach. Boals, who is in his third year with the program, serves as
recruiting coordinator and is also responsible for the development
of the team's post players.
"One of the reasons this program has been so successful is because
we have been able to maintain continuity within our staff," Dambrot
said. "Promoting Jeff in this way helps us continue to do that.
Jeff is a great recruiter and has a tremendous relationship with
our players. He was a hard-nosed, over-achieving player and those
traits have rubbed off on our athletes. He also has great
understanding of Mid-American Conference basketball."
Over the last two seasons, Boals has aided the Zips in winning a
MAC East Division title (2007), making consecutive appearances in
the MAC Tournament championship game (2007 and 2008) and advancing
to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (2008).
He was also pivotal in helping sign one of the largest recruiting
classes in program history, as UA inked a group of five
student-athletes during last November's early period. The highlight
of that class is guard Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens (Chillicothe,
Ohio/Chillicothe HS) who is the highest-ranked freshman in the
league, according to HoopScoopOnline.com.
"I love being around college basketball," Boals said. "To be able
to do what I love with a program and university that I believe in
makes me want to work even harder to make an impact. I appreciate
the confidence that Keith and (Director of Athletics) Mack Rhoades
have in me to give me this new title. I am dedicated to playing a
major role in taking this program to the next level."
Prior to joining the Akron staff, Boals spent the 2004-05 and
2005-06 seasons as an assistant coach at Robert Morris. He was
associate head coach at Division II University of Charleston during
the 2003-04 season. That was actually his second stint at the
school, having been an assistant coach from 1996-99. Boals was an
assistant coach at former MAC school Marshall from 1999-2003 and
started his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater and
MAC member Ohio from 1995-96.
A native of Magnolia, Ohio, Boals earned a bachelor of science
degree in biological sciences from Ohio in 1995, and was a
four-year letterwinner on the Bobcats' basketball team. Also a
two-year captain, he helped guide OU to the 1994 MAC Tournament and
regular-season championships, the same season the program won the
Preseason National Invitation Tournament. In the preseason NIT, the
Bobcats notched road victories over Ohio State and Virginia before
edging New Mexico State and George Washington at Madison Square
Garden.
