APPLETON, Wis. -- John Tharp, the man who led the Lawrence University men's basketball team to unprecedented success, is leaving the university to be the head coach at Hillsdale College, a NCAA Division II school located in Michigan.
Joel DePagter, Tharp's assistant for the past four seasons, has been named interim head coach, Director of Athletics Robert Beeman announced Wednesday.
"I want to thank the university for giving a wet-behind-the-ears 24-year-old a chance to run a college basketball program," said Tharp, who coached the Vikings for 13 seasons. "When you start something, you envision what it could be and we got pretty close to that."
Tharp, 37, compiled a record of 204-108, that makes him the winningest coach in Lawrence men's basketball history. Tharp's teams won four Midwest Conference championships (1997, 2004, 2005, 2006) and won the MWC Tournament title in those four seasons as well. The Vikings played in the NCAA Division III Tournament four times, and Lawrence advanced farther in the tournament than any team in MWC history when it reached the Elite Eight in 2004. Tharp's 5-4 record in NCAA Division III Tournament play gives him more wins and a better winning percentage than any coach in league history.
"When you have young, talented coaches, they are often the target of other programs," Beeman said. "I am not surprised that someone else recognized what we have known here at Lawrence University for some time, that John Tharp is an exceptional basketball coach."
Tharp, a native of Sheboygan, Wis., and 1991 graduate of Beloit College, oversaw a three-year span from 2004-06 in which no team in Division III basketball won more games than Lawrence. During that stretch, Lawrence was 69-12 and had a magical season in 2005-06. Lawrence won 25 consecutive games, was the last unbeaten men's college basketball team in the land, and achieved a No. 1 ranking in the D3hoops.com Top 25.
"On a personal level, I am sad to see John leave. We connected on many different levels, and I thoroughly enjoyed my two years working with him," Beeman said. "It is my belief that Hillsdale College has secured the type of leader and skilled basketball coach that will lead their program to the same type of success we enjoyed under John's tutelage here at Lawrence."
DePagter, a 1998 Lawrence graduate, takes over a team that returns four starters and 19 letterwinners from a squad that finished 13-10. DePagter, better known as JoJo around Lawrence, also is a native of Sheboygan and starred for the Vikings early in Tharp's tenure as head coach.
"The one bright point of me leaving is coach DePagter taking over the program," Tharp said. "His dedication and loyalty have been a key reason for our success. I'm happy and excited for him."
DePagter led Lawrence to the 1997 MWC championship and was named the conference Player of the Year that year. He served as an assistant under Tharp in 1999-2000 before working in the same capacity at Hillsdale. DePagter then returned to Lawrence in 2003, and has been Tharp's top assistant for the past two seasons.
"JoJo is a skilled technician and a strong recruiter. Additionally, he has garnered the trust and respect of the student-athletes on the team," Beeman said. "I have no doubt that JoJo will continue the tradition of basketball excellence that we have come to expect at Lawrence University."
Tharp replaces Ed Douma, who announced his retirement on March 5 after nine seasons at Hillsdale. Douma compiled a record of 142-107 and led the Chargers to their first two NCAA Division II tournaments.