UMSL Hires Chris Pilz as Men's Basketball Coach

Former UMSL All-American to Coach Rivermen

St. Louis, Mo. – University of Missouri-St. Louis athletic director Pat Dolan has announced the hiring of Chris Pilz as the new men’s basketball coach. Pilz is a former All-American at UMSL and becomes the fifth head coach in Rivermen history. Pilz will be the second former player to lead the Rivermen, as he takes over for Mark Bernsen, who resigned in June to take an assistant coaching position at Southeast Missouri State.

“We are extremely delighted to add Chris Pilz to our staff and take over the leadership of the men’s basketball program here at UMSL,” said UMSL Athletic Director Pat Dolan. “Chris has a passion and genuine love for the university and that enthusiasm comes through in everything he does. I’m looking forward to having Chris bring that kind excitement to our department and work to develop the men’s basketball program here at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.”

“This is a great day for me and my family from both a career standpoint and a personal standpoint,” said Pilz. “I’m excited to return to my alma mater and help get things back on the winning track by establishing a program that can be competitive in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and doing that by drawing on the wealth of local talent here in the St. Louis area.”

“I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to play here at UMSL when there were no other options for me as a player, and now I’m getting that same opportunity as a coach here at UMSL” added Pilz. “I played on some great teams at UMSL and developed some great friendships with teammates. It was that excitement and love for the game that inspired me to become a head coach. It’s always been a goal of mine to be able to coach at the collegiate level and to get that opportunity here at UMSL is an exciting feeling.”

Pilz comes to UMSL having built a successful program at Hazelwood Central (Mo.) High School. In his six seasons at Hazelwood Central, Pilz led the team to a 107-55 record and never finished with a losing season. Two seasons ago, Pilz led the team to the Elite Eight when the team went 23-6 on the year. In 1999, he guided the team to a Sweet 16 appearance in the state tournament. Prior to coaching at Hazelwood Central, Pilz was the head coach at Senath-Hornersville (Mo.) High School where he went 32-18 in two seasons. His coaching career began at Salem (Mo.) High School where he went 45-35 in four seasons.

As a player at UMSL, Pilz was a second team All-American selection in 1990-91 and holds the distinction of having played in more winning games, 72, than any other men’s basketball player in UMSL history. He was a member of the 1987-88 team and the 1990-91 team that both set the school record with 22 wins in a season. Pilz was a member of the last UMSL team to qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament during the 1987-88 season.

Pilz was a 2002 inductee into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame, and is the second all-time leading scorer in UMSL history with 1,673 career points. He ranks first in school history in career steals (233) and is second in career assists (426). He was named to the MIAA All-Freshman team in 1987-88 and was conference Newcomer of the Year that same season. Pilz was named an all-conference selection three times and was a two-time all-region selection.

Pilz graduated from UMSL with a bachelor of science in secondary education in 1991, and went on to complete his master’s in educational administration from Lincoln University in 1995. He is a graduate of Licking (Mo.) High School and resides in St. Louis, Mo., with his wife Angela, and their four children; Cameron (11), Ashton (5), Addison (3) and Aldon (1).