PLATTEVILLE - Former Wisconsin Badger captain and two-time all-Big Ten player Sharif Chambliss and former UW-Platteville captain Brad Stangel have joined first-year head coach Jeff Gard's basketball staff at UW-Platteville.
"We very excited to have both Sharif and Brad join the Pioneer family," Gard said. "They have played for a man in Bo Ryan who is truly one of the best in this profession, and now they bring this tremendous amount of experience to our program to assist our student-athletes both on and off the court."
Stangel was a reserve on the 1998 and 1999 national championship teams as well as the 2000 team that spent several weeks ranked number one in the country. He broke into the starting lineup as a senior, averaging 9.8 points per game.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education in 2004, serving as a student assistant while he finished his schooling. Stangel most recently was a graduate assistant coach at Edgewood College in Madison, where he is completing his work on a master's degree in professional education.
He played on two state championship football teams at Monroe and is Wisconsin's all-time prep leader in extra points and scoring by a kicker. His brother Bryan played for the Pioneers in 1999-2003, and brother Brett will be a sophomore on the 2009-10 Pioneer team.
"Brad knows the campus and the atmosphere of the UW-Platteville and this community which will definitely be an advantage on the recruiting trail just as his knowledge as a coach and teacher will be a benefit on the floor," Gard said. "He does a great job of relating to the players, and the experience he gained as a former student-athlete here at UW-Platteville is invaluable."
Chambliss, a Racine native, earned all-state and honorable mention all-American honors after leading his St. Catherine's team to a 23-1 record and a WIAA Division 3 state title.
He played at Penn State for three seasons, twice earning honorable mention all-Big 10 honors, before returning to his home state and playing for the Wisconsin Badgers. He captained the Badgers during their 25-9 campaign that saw them advance to the 2005 NCAA Elite Eight before falling 88-82 to eventual national champion North Carolina. He averaged 7.5 points per game and led the Badgers with 95 assists.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in life science communications from UW-Madison in 2005. After a year playing in Portugal, Chambliss coached two years at UW-Milwaukee before joining the Francis Marion (S.C.) staff.
At UW-Madison, Chambliss played under head coach Bo Ryan and lead assistant coach Greg Gard, who previously coached at UWP. Ryan guided the Pioneers to four NCAA Division III championships, and Gard - Jeff's older brother - has been Ryan's assistant since 1993-94.
"Sharif brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to our staff from his previous stops as a former student-athlete at the Division I level as well as the coaching experiences he has gained from (UW-Milwaukee and former Pioneer Assistant) coach Rob Jeter and (Francis Marion) coach Gary Edwards," Jeff Gard said.
"The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will benefit greatly from his addition to our staff, and we are looking forward to working together for many years to come."
UW-Platteville was 23-6 in 2008-09 and earned the school's first NCAA Division III playoff berth since the 1999 championship season. The Pioneers advanced to the second round and finished sixth in the final national poll.
Gard, who was an assistant for six years, was promoted to the head coaching position at his alma mater in June.
"We very excited to have both Sharif and Brad join the Pioneer family," Gard said. "They have played for a man in Bo Ryan who is truly one of the best in this profession, and now they bring this tremendous amount of experience to our program to assist our student-athletes both on and off the court."
Stangel was a reserve on the 1998 and 1999 national championship teams as well as the 2000 team that spent several weeks ranked number one in the country. He broke into the starting lineup as a senior, averaging 9.8 points per game.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education in 2004, serving as a student assistant while he finished his schooling. Stangel most recently was a graduate assistant coach at Edgewood College in Madison, where he is completing his work on a master's degree in professional education.
He played on two state championship football teams at Monroe and is Wisconsin's all-time prep leader in extra points and scoring by a kicker. His brother Bryan played for the Pioneers in 1999-2003, and brother Brett will be a sophomore on the 2009-10 Pioneer team.
"Brad knows the campus and the atmosphere of the UW-Platteville and this community which will definitely be an advantage on the recruiting trail just as his knowledge as a coach and teacher will be a benefit on the floor," Gard said. "He does a great job of relating to the players, and the experience he gained as a former student-athlete here at UW-Platteville is invaluable."
Chambliss, a Racine native, earned all-state and honorable mention all-American honors after leading his St. Catherine's team to a 23-1 record and a WIAA Division 3 state title.
He played at Penn State for three seasons, twice earning honorable mention all-Big 10 honors, before returning to his home state and playing for the Wisconsin Badgers. He captained the Badgers during their 25-9 campaign that saw them advance to the 2005 NCAA Elite Eight before falling 88-82 to eventual national champion North Carolina. He averaged 7.5 points per game and led the Badgers with 95 assists.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in life science communications from UW-Madison in 2005. After a year playing in Portugal, Chambliss coached two years at UW-Milwaukee before joining the Francis Marion (S.C.) staff.
At UW-Madison, Chambliss played under head coach Bo Ryan and lead assistant coach Greg Gard, who previously coached at UWP. Ryan guided the Pioneers to four NCAA Division III championships, and Gard - Jeff's older brother - has been Ryan's assistant since 1993-94.
"Sharif brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to our staff from his previous stops as a former student-athlete at the Division I level as well as the coaching experiences he has gained from (UW-Milwaukee and former Pioneer Assistant) coach Rob Jeter and (Francis Marion) coach Gary Edwards," Jeff Gard said.
"The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will benefit greatly from his addition to our staff, and we are looking forward to working together for many years to come."
UW-Platteville was 23-6 in 2008-09 and earned the school's first NCAA Division III playoff berth since the 1999 championship season. The Pioneers advanced to the second round and finished sixth in the final national poll.
Gard, who was an assistant for six years, was promoted to the head coaching position at his alma mater in June.
