Wilson aims to stay

Bob Wilson set the bar high for his replacement and that is just the way he thinks it should be.

Fred Litzenberger, who was an assistant for the 2005-06 season, replaced Wilson as the Vanguard men’s basketball coach Wednesday, following a season in which the Lions played in the NAIA tournament for the first time since 1990.

“Until you win a conference championship or a game or two in the tournament, there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Wilson said. “We can have success at Vanguard. We didn’t win that game.”

Wilson remains the Lions’ athletic director and said he is excited to focus all of his energy on the position after three full seasons as head mens’ basketball coach.

“We let things lie a little bit while I was coaching,” Wilson said. “I’m excited about the challenges as AD. We’ve got a lot of things in place, but we’d really like to expand our structures. We want to improve the baseball stadium, the softball field, the soccer field. We’d like to get tennis courts on campus.

“It’s going to take a lot of money. I’m not sure if we can get it done, but be sure that we will try to do it.”

After a strong season in which the Lions finished third in the Golden State Athletic Conference with a 20-13 record overall, Wilson is proud of what he accomplished in his time leading the team. His tenure started suddenly on Sept. 8, 2003, when Jim DeGroot resigned before coaching a game.

“I really feel good being that our four seniors [Horace Wormely, Levi Seekins, Tim Burnette and Leon Rosborough] got a chance to go to the national tournament,” Wilson said. “One of the things we tried to accomplish is to be more competitive in the conference. Maybe we exceeded expectations. Our labor of hard work paid off.”

Wilson, 58, said he plans to remain as the athletic director for at least seven more years. At that time, he will check his health and plan his future accordingly.

Wilson said he will keep a distance from the team so Litzenberger can settle in as the head coach, but he will be available to consult, similar to when he discusses the women’s team with Coach Russ Davis.

“If he comes to me, I’ll be there to give my two cents,” Wilson said. “He needs to establish himself as the head coach. Behind the scenes, we can discuss the team.”

Wilson said the transition for the team will be smooth, because both Wilson and Litzenberger have the same style of coaching.

“Fred’s an intense coach,” Wilson said. “It might take a while for them to get used to him. I’m pretty intense to. So last season, they had two guys getting on them. He’s a good teacher and a good strategist. He builds good relationships with his players. I had a coach come up to me and tell me ‘[Litzenberger] is the best clinic teacher I’ve ever heard.”