Tim Cleary spent more than a decade working his way through the Division I coaching ranks, but will return to his Division III roots for his first head coaching position.
Cleary was introduced at a Monday afternoon news conference as the 19th coach in program history. He comes to Pacific after spending eight seasons at Boise State, which included a short stint in March as the team's interim head coach. Cleary replaces Jason Lowery, who left for a high school girls' basketball coaching job after compiling a 50-75 record in five seasons.
"Without question, I am ecstatic to be here," Cleary said. "I think Pacific University provides me a great fit, not only as a coach but certainly for my family. The quality of people here makes it ideal. I look forward to fitting in here with the athletic department as a whole and doing the things necessary to take the basketball program to new heights."
Cleary, who played his college ball at Division III Carroll, succeeds Jason Lowery, who resigned in May after five seasons to become a counselor and head girls' basketball coach at Jesuit High School in Portland. Cleary's name rose to the top in a rapid national search that yielded nearly 100 applicants.
"I could not be more pleased that Tim has agreed to take over the men's basketball program," said athletic director Ken Schumann. "Philosophically, Tim is a perfect fit for the university community and I am confident that he will be a great coach for our program."
Cleary spent the last eight seasons helping develop Boise State into a nationally recognized Division I basketball power in the Northwest. He helped guide the Broncos to a Western Athletic Conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2008 as well as Sweet 16 appearance in the NIT in 2004 and a 2009 appearance in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational tournament.
Despite working in Division I hoops for over a decade, Cleary beings a strong understanding of the type of player who can excel at Pacific not only on the court, but also in the classroom. "I played Division III basketball, so I am well aware of the makeup and the type of person it takes to balance a high level education with a high level of basketball," Cleary said. "I think it is that quality of the balance between the student and the athlete that really excites me. I like that I will be coaching guys who are obviously driven from a basketball standpoint and have a pure love for the game, but that are also serious students."
In addition, Cleary brings to Pacific a familiarity of the quality of basketball played within the Northwest Conference, touted as one of the toughest basketball leagues in all of Division III. The Broncos played an exhibition game against Pacific to begin the 2008-09 season and opened last season with an exhibition against Willamette. Cleary sees the potential for Pacific to be a top contending program in the conference as he develops the team.
"I think the potential is limitless," Cleary said. "The location, near a major metropolitan area in Portland, the beauty of the campus, the quality of the community and certainly the quality of the athletic department as a whole is great," Cleary said. "There is unlimited potential to take this basketball program where we all want it to be."
Prior to arriving at Boise State, Cleary spent three seasons (1999-2002) as an assistant coach at UC Irvine, where he recruited, scouted, helped with opponent preparation and directed the team's basketball camps. He helped lead the Anteaters to back-to-back NIT appearances as well as back-to-back Big West Conference regular season championships in 2001 and 2002.
Cleary's coaching resume includes two stints as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division II Chico State and one season as an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona.
Cleary was a three-time letterwinner and earned All-Midwest Conference academic honors in his senior season. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Carroll in 1994 and earned a master's in physical education from Chico State in 2001. A native of Redding, Calif., Cleary and his wife, Valerie, are the proud parents of two children, Olivia (6) and Sean (1).