Marty Simmons - New Head Coach at Evansville

[BUBraves25]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2800185&campaign=rss&source=NCAAHeadlines

[Grassman]

Great. Hope he brings Evansville up a level. He has the history. Successfull player and coach. He should be able to recruit well in Southern Il. Southern Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri.
The tougher The Valley is, the better for all the teams.

[Big Mike]

Good hire and quick too!

[real fan]

My son goes to SIUE and I told him that Marty was probably going to get that job as he was an asst. there under Jim Crews and has done a good job at SIUE; it will not be easy.

[tornado]

Marty Simmons has hired two assistants already.

He has hired one of his own SIU-E assistants, Ben Wierzba from Farmington, and has also hired Marcus Belcher from EIU.

Marty has also already gone on record saying he thinks he can win 20 games next season even though Evanmsville loses 4 of 5 starters and probably loses more than any other MVC team and will be starting new under a completely new coaching staff!

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/mar/18/simmons-already-passes-a-test/

[patrick_o'brian]

Marty Simmons has hired two assistants already.

He has hired one of his own SIU-E assistants, Ben Wierzba from Farmington, and has also hired Marcus Belcher from EIU.

Marty has also already gone on record saying he thinks he can win 20 games next season even though Evanmsville loses 4 of 5 starters and probably loses more than any other MVC team and will be starting new under a completely new coaching staff!
http://www.courierpress.com/news/200...passes-a-test/

So I guess that means that Ben and Rhet are on the same staff or did Marty retain Rhet? Just wondering if anyone has heard.

[Da Coach]

The only person kept over from Steve Merfeld's staff was the Director of Basketball Operations, Rhet Wierzba.

So Rhet will be working with his brother Ben Wierzba who was an assistant under Simmons at SIU-Edwardsville and was hired as one of Marty's new assistants at Evansville. As most people here know, the Wierzba brothers are from Farmington, and played there for their father Tom Wierzba.

Marcus Belcher, the other assistant Marty hired, is a former SIU player who was an assistant under Mark Miller at Eastern Illinois this past season and prior to that was an assistant at SIUE under Simmons. A 3rd assistant is yet to be hired. One possibility could be ex-SIUE assistant Mark Allaria, now at Edwardsville High. Allaria is a former Evansville player.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/mar/18/simmons-already-passes-a-test/