MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Former West Virginia guard and West Virginia Wesleyan head coach Patrick Beilein has resigned as Niagara head coach, just weeks before opening what would have been his first season as a Division 1 head coach.
Beilein released a statement Thursday saying, “Personal reasons I can no longer take lightly have led me to step away from my dream job. Going forward, I must give singular focus to dealing with these issues so that I can become the man that I strive to be.”
Beilein was a 1,000-point scorer for the Mountaineers, playing for his father John at WVU from 2002-2006. He was a member of teams that advanced to the Elite 8 and Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons.
John, now the head coach of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, released a statement on Twitter:
Prior to arriving at Niagara earlier this year, Patrick led LeMoyne to three consecutive trips to the Division 2 NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite 8 in 2018. In addition to his tenure at WV Wesleyan, Beilein has also served as an assistant coach at Michigan, Dartmouth, Bradley and the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
Assistant coach Greg Paulus has been named Niagara’s interim head coach. Robert C. Byrd High School and WV Wesleyan graduate Brett Ervin is an assistant with the Eagles. Niagara recently secured a verbal commitment from University High School state champion guard K.J. McClurg.