Glenn Van Wieren, right, hoped that Matt Neil, left, would succeed him as Hope's coach.

Matthew Neil has been Glenn Van Wieren's assistant since the 1980s. Now he'll get the opportunity to succeed his boss and run the program himself. Neil will be named head men's basketball coach at Hope this afternoon, sources told D3sports.com. A news conference at the school's DeVos Fieldhouse made the announcement official.

When Van Wieren announced his retirement on April 13, after 660 career wins, he publicly stated he hoped Neil would get his shot.

Neil, who is a 1982 graduate of Hope, inherits a Flying Dutchmen team that went 21-8 this past season for the second consecutive year, falling to St. Norbert 72-65 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He is just the fourth Hope men's basketball coach over the past 62 seasons.

"I am truly humbled to become the head men's basketball coach at an institution that stands for excellence in so many ways, and at the place that helped me grow into the person I am today," said Neil. "In academics, in athletics, and in enriching lives, Hope College continues to strive to follow God's leading, which is what we all strive for in our personal lives.

"I have been privileged to be part of coach Van Wieren's staff for the past 26 years. He has modeled excellence as a coach, as a mentor, as a family man of faith and a friend."

As a senior, Neil scored 13.2 points per game for a Flying Dutchmen team that went 19-5 and won the MIAA with a 10-2 record. He averaged double figures in scoring all three years of his varsity career, was an all-conference forward as both a junior and senior and was named the league's most valuable player his senior season.