Valparaiso University men’s basketball head coach Matt Lottich announced today his coaching staff for the 2016-17 season – his first at the helm of the Crusaders. Luke Gore remains on the staff as an assistant coach and will be joined by incoming assistant coaches David Ragland and Jackie Manuel, while Chad Warner will join the staff as the director of basketball operations.

"I am excited to introduce our coaching staff for next season to the Valpo fanbase," said Lottich. "Bringing in David, Jackie and Chad, along with keeping Luke on staff, will strengthen our program going forward. As a group, it's a staff which has experienced winning - both as players and coaches - a staff which has strong recruiting ties, and most importantly a staff devoted to helping develop our players, both on and off the basketball court."

Gore will enter his 15^th season as a member of the Crusader men’s basketball program in 2016-17. In his 14 years at Valpo, Gore has helped lead the Crusaders to 279 victories, six league regular season titles, three league tournament championships and nine postseason trips – including three appearances in both the NCAA Tournament and the Postseason NIT. Working with the Valpo post players in player development, he has coached 12 All-League post players in his tenure, including helping to develop Vashil Fernandez into a two-time league Defensive Player of the Year and the nation’s leading shot blocker this past season.

Ragland comes to Valparaiso with 12 years of collegiate coaching experience under his belt. Most recently, Ragland was an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky for the 2015-16 campaign, helping to guide the Norse in their transition into the Horizon League. Prior to his stint at NKU, Ragland helped lead Bowling Green to 21 victories in the 2014-15 season and was on staff for four seasons at Indiana State, during which time the Sycamores won 79 games. Ragland also brings head coaching experience to the Crusader staff, spending the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons as head coach at Vincennes University, leading the program to 44 wins over his two seasons.

Manuel joins the Crusader coaching staff as an assistant coach after spending the last four years as an assistant at UNC Greensboro. Last season, Manuel helped lead the Spartans to their first postseason bid since 2002. Over his four years on staff at UNCG, five Spartan players earned All-Southern Conference accolades, including a trio of First Team honorees. A tri-captain on the 2005 North Carolina national championship team, Manuel also served one year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater. He played professionally for five seasons, spending four years in the NBA Development League and one season playing in Japan before embarking on his coaching career.

Warner brings experience at a number of levels to the director of basketball operations role on the Crusaders’ staff. Warner, who spent the last year working in the private sector, was head coach at Shorter University for eight seasons, leading the Hawks to 156 victories in his tenure of the helm of the program. He was named NABC National Coach of the Year in 2011-12, leading Shorter to 34 wins, the no. 1 ranking nationally and a spot in the NAIA Fab Four, and then guided the Hawks in their transition to NCAA Division II in 2012-13, winning 21 games. Warner also spent two seasons apiece as an assistant coach at Division III Hampden-Sydney College and William & Mary.