CROOKSTON,
Minn.- University of Minnesota Crookston Director of Athletics
Stephanie Helgeson and Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Weisse announced the
addition of Mike Annese as assistant men’s basketball coach for the
Golden Eagles. Annese spent last season as an assistant coach at Truman
State University, a NCAA Division II school in Kirksville, Mo.
“We
are thrilled to have Mike join our staff at UMC,” Weisse said. “Mike is
a high energy and high character person and someone players will enjoy
playing for. He knows what the players are going through having played
at Colorado State and Western State. I believe Mike will be an excellent
addition to the Crookston community and look forward to the opportunity
to work with him.”
Annese helped the Bulldogs to a 20-win
season and a second-place finish in the Great Lakes Valley Conference
(GLVC) West Division last season. The 20-win season marked the best
performance by Truman in the previous 15 years. Annese worked under Head
Coach Matt Woodley, who was an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee
State when Weisse was a graduate assistant for the Blue Raiders.
“Mike
worked for Matt Woodley at Truman State,” Weisse said. “Matt and I had
worked together at Middle Tennessee State. I plan to run a program
similar to the one Matt runs at Truman. In addition, Truman is in a
similar situation as UMC, as it is a small school in an excellent
basketball conference, so it should be an easy transition for Mike to
Crookston.”
Annese’s main responsibilities at Truman included
coordinating all aspects of video editing, which included breadkown of
game film and film exchange. He also played a large role in the
recruitment of student-athletes and worked hands-on with the team’s
guards, coordinating their skill development during the season and in
the off-season. Annese also helped with in-game coaching decisions and
scouting opposing teams.
“I am extremely excited to be joining
the UMC community,” Annese said. “ I am looking forward to working with
Coach Weisse. He is a great leader and I believe he will have a
significant impact on the Golden Eagle basketball program.”
Prior
to his arrival at Truman, Annese served two seasons as a graduate
assistant at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa. He
helped lead the Lakers to the National Junior College Athletic
Association (NJCAA) National Tournament during the 2012-13 season. Iowa
Lakes also captured the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference
(ICCAC) Regular-Season and Conference Tournament Championship during the
2012-13 season. Annese was repsonsible for the recruitment of Deondre
Parks to Iowa Lakes, who was a third-team All-American at Iowa Lakes and
who has signed to play at South Dakota State University.
During
his time with the Lakers, Annese was responsible for video coordination
and film exchange, while also overseeing the team’s strength and
conditioning program. He also assisted in the recruitment of
student-athletes, scouted opposing teams and helped with player skill
development.
While at Iowa Lakes, Annese worked with current UMC
guard Kevin Larson, who was with the Lakers during the same two seasons
Annese served as a graduate assistant. Larson will be a senior for the
Golden Eagles during the 2014-15 season.
Prior to starting his
coaching career, Annese played at Colorado State University, a NCAA
Division I institution in the Fort Collins, Colo. Annese played for Tim
Miles, who is currently the head coach at University of Nebraska and who
prior to Colorado State was the head coach at North Dakota State
University. Annese was a part of laying the ground work for future
success as CSU. He was a part of the Rams’ College Basketball
Post-season Invite (CBI) team during the 2009-10 season. He also helped
Colorado State to a Rainbow Hoops Classic Runner-up finish and a Great
Alaskan Shootout Championship. The Rams made the National Invitational
Tournament (NIT) a season after Annese graduated and the NCAA Tournament
the next two seasons.
Before walking on at Colorado State,
Annese spent two seasons at Western State College of Colorado in
Gunnison, Colo. Annese was the starting point guard for the Mountaineers
as a freshman during the 2005-06 season.
A native of Littleton,
Colo., Annese received his Master’s degree in higher education from
Iowa State University in the spring of 2014 after earning his Bachelor’s
degree in Sociology from Colorado State in 2010. He is also a Certified
Emergency Medical Technician through the Denver Health EMS Program.
Annese
is the first hire for Weisse, who took over the program in the end of
April. The Golden Eagles will add one more assistant coach to the staff
later this summer. Weisse arrives to UMC from Minnesota State University
Moorhead where he was an assistant coach for three seasons.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment