Published on: Wednesday, June 15, 2011

By Brandy L. Simms

Former DeMatha basketball standout and assistant coach Pete Strickland has joined Mike Lonergan’s staff at George Washington University.

Strickland spent the last five seasons as an assistant at N.C. State where he worked under former head coach Sidney Lowe, a fellow DeMatha graduate. Lowe resigned earlier this year and was replaced by Mark Gottfried who decided not to retain Strickland.

“It is a luxury to have someone of Pete’s stature and experience on our staff,” said Lonergan, “and I plan to lean on him for his insight and wisdom.”

Strickland, 54, played for Hall of Fame Coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha and helped lead the Stags to the City Title during his senior campaign in 1975. He later joined Wootten’s coaching staff as a varsity assistant and head junior varsity coach.

Courtesy photo. Pete Strickland joins Mike Lonergan's staff at George Washington University.

“It is a pleasure to join Mike Lonergan and his staff at GW,” said Strickland, a three-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh. “I’ve admired the GW basketball program going back to my days in the A-10 at Dayton and as a player in the Eastern Eight at Pitt.”

Strickland has also held assistant coaching positions at VMI, Old Dominion and Dayton. He served a seven-year stint as the head coach at Coastal Carolina where he compiled a 70-127 record and produced three All-Americans from 1998-2005. He earned league coach of the year honors during the 1999-2000 campaign that saw his team finish in third place after being picked to finish last in the preseason.

Strickland joins a GW coaching staff that also includes former Bishop McNamara head coach Kevin Sutton.

“With the staff Mike is assembling here, I’m very excited to be a part of what promises to be a bright future for Colonials Basketball,” Strickland said.