Louis Orr Named Coach Of The Year
March 09, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2009
Cleveland, Ohio - Bowling Green State University men's basketball coach Louis Orr was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year today by vote of the MAC News Media Association. In just his second year at Bowling Green, Orr has led the team to an 18-12 overall record, a share of the MAC Eastern Division championship, and the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament.
Orr's defensive philosophy has helped the team win five more games in 2008-09 than it did a year ago, including four more MAC wins. The Falcons finished fifth in the Eastern Division a year ago and were picked to finish third in the preseason poll but exceeded those expectations by taking on coach Orr's philosophy and leading the conference in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots. In the year prior to his arrival, Bowling Green went 13-18 overall and finished last in the Eastern Division with a 3-13 conference mark. Last year the team went 13-17 and finished 7-9 in the MAC.
Over the course of the season, Orr has developed a tough-minded team that made a remarkable transformation. The team opened the year by losing seven consecutive road games. But the Falcons persevered and, after beating Ohio on the road, won six consecutive MAC road games, the longest streak in the conference since Kent State won seven in a row away from home in the 2001-02 season.
Bowling Green won its first division crown since 2000 and, by virtue of the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament, has qualified for the NIT Tournament for the first time since 2002. The Falcons need two more wins to reach 20 for the first time since that 2002 campaign and are attempting to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1968.
Orr has a career record of 131-109 and had a pair of 20-win seasons in his prior seven years as a head coach. He took Seton Hall to the NCAA Tournament in both 2004 and 2006 and also took the Pirates to the NIT Tournament in 2003. He is the third Bowling Green coach in league history to receive the award joining John Weinert in 1978 and Jim Larranaga in 1997.