BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin Wallace University Athletic Director Kris A. Diaz has named Thomas W. Heil (pronounced Hile) as Head Men's Golf Coach and Assistant Men's Basketball Coach. Heil, a native of Akron, joins the staff of second-year Head Men's Basketball Coach Duane Sheldon and takes over a men's golf program that has finished in the top five of the Ohio Athletic Conference for 12 consecutive seasons.
"I'm extremely excited to coach at a college (BW) with such an outstanding academic and athletic reputation," said Heil. "I look forward to the opportunity of being a head golf coach and to work with coach Sheldon and the basketball program. I've been fortunate to work with great coaches in the past and I feel that coming to BW is my best opportunity as a young coach."
Heil inherits a men's golf program that has been one of the best in the OAC over the past decade. The 2009-10 Yellow Jackets return an all-conference performer in senior Nick Bryan (Zanesville/ Rosecrans). The men's basketball program enters its second season under Sheldon and returns a solid nucleus of young players and one of the top scores in the OAC in senior forward Kyle Brown (Strongsville).
"Tom is an outstanding young coach," noted Diaz. "He comes with excellent references and is more than ready for his first head coaching job. His youth and enthusiasm are going to be very valuable to our athletics program."
Heil joins BW after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant with the Defiance College men's basketball team. During Heil's time, the Yellow Jackets posted seasons of 19 and 18 wins, respectively, and captured the 2007-08 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship. Heil's main areas of responsibility included recruiting, strength and conditioning and perimeter player skill development.
"Tom has a tremendous work ethic and a great passion for the game of basketball," said Sheldon. "We're excited about his experience and feel that he is going to make our program better. He will be heavily involved in all aspects of our program."
Prior to his time at Defiance, Heil played four seasons of varsity basketball at Bluffton University and was twice named an All-HCAC performer. He also captained the 2006-07 squad that finished with a school-record tying 18 wins.
Heil earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration degree from Bluffton in 2007 and his Master of Arts in Sports Science from Defiance in 2009.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact BW Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact coach Heil, please call him at 440-826-2183 or via e-mail at theil@bw.edu.
