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Saint Louis promotes assistant Jim Whitesell to associate head coach

Jim Whitesell

Jim Whitesell, an Iowa native who has served under Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus for one season, has been promoted to associate head coach, the school confirmed Thursday.

“He’s extraordinarily committed,” Majerus told STLToday.com. “He’d make me go to bed after a game and when I woke up, he’d have a tape made and 20 bullet points to look at and address. It got to a point, I wouldn’t look at them ahead of time because I wanted to do my own work and compare.

“He’s dedicated, a good coach, the players respect him, he’s a balance to me,” Majerus continued. “We’re a good team together. He’s an exceptionally hard worker. He loves it. He considers it honor and privilege (to coach) like I do. He loves the challenge, loves the chase.”

Whitesell worked primarily with post players this past season with the Billikens, but now becomes Majerus’ clear second-in-command and someone who can make an impact in recruiting.

“He’s the top assistant coach, that’s definitive,” Majerus said. “He’s the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator, the special team guy, the sideline outs. Not to detract from (Jim) Crews or Tanner (Bronson), Jim has got total responsibility for every aspect of the program. Others have aspects for specific parts.”

The Billikens finished 26-8 last season, including 12-4 in the A-10 and advanced to the Round of 32 of the NCAA tournament.

Prior to his time at Saint Louis, Whitesell coached at Loyola Chicago, Lewis (Ill.) College, and Elmhurst (Ill.) College.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_