Lorenzo Romar

Lorenzo Romar
	Romar celebrates Washington's 2011 Pac-10 tournament championship.
Personal information
Born	November 13, 1958 (age 65); South Gate, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	171 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High school	Saint Pius X (Downey, California)
College	Cerritos College (1976–1978); Washington (1978–1980);
NBA draft	1980: 7th round, 141st overall pick
	Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career	1980–1985
Position	Point guard
Number	18, 5, 14
Coaching career	1992–present
Career history
As player:
1980–1983	Golden State Warriors
1983–1984	Milwaukee Bucks
1985	Detroit Pistons
As coach:
1992–1996	UCLA (assistant)
1996–1999	Pepperdine
1999–2002	Saint Louis
2002–2017	Washington
2017–2018	Arizona (associate HC)
2018–2024	Pepperdine
Career highlights and awards
	As coach: CBI champion (2021); 2× Pac-12 regular season champion (2009, 2012); 3× Pac-10 tournament champion (2005, 2010, 2011); C-USA tournament champion (2000); 3× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2005, 2009, 2012);
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Last updated March 29, 2024

Lorenzo Romar (born November 13, 1958) is an American basketball coach and former player. He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at Pepperdine University, a position he held from 1996 to 1999 and resumed from 2018 to 2024. Romar also served as the head men's basketball coach at Saint Louis University from 1999 to 2002 and the University of Washington from 2002 to 2017.

Playing career

Romar played college basketball at Cerritos College from 1976 to 1978 and then for Washington from 1978 to 1980. After college, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and spent five years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1980–81	Golden State	53	–	13.7	.412	.333	.683	1.1	2.6	0.5	0.1	4.1
1981–82	Golden State	79	11	15.9	.504	.200	.823	1.2	2.9	0.8	0.2	6.2
1982–83	Golden State	82	64	26.0	.465	.303	.743	1.7	5.5	1.2	0.1	7.6
1983–84	Golden State	3	0	5.0	.400	.000	.500	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	2.0
1983–84	Milwaukee	65	9	15.5	.460	.125	.722	1.4	3.0	0.8	0.1	6.0
1984–85	Milwaukee	4	0	4.0	.125	.000	.000	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.5
1984–85	Detroit	5	0	7.0	.250	.000	1.000	0.0	2.0	0.8	0.0	1.8
Career		291	84	17.8	.464	.211	.749	1.3	3.5	0.8	0.1	5.9

Playoffs


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1983–84	Milwaukee	13	–	5.2	.450	.000	.636	0.2	1.2	0.0	0.0	1.9
Career		13	–	5.2	.450	.000	.636	0.2	1.2	0.0	0.0	1.9

College


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1978–79	Washington	27	–	19.8	.508	–	.721	1.4	–	–	–	6.0
1979–80	Washington	28	–	26.9	.489	–	.763	1.9	3.5	1.0	0.1	9.3
Career		55	–	23.4	.496	–	.745	1.6	3.5	1.0	0.1	7.7

Coaching career

Early years

After the NBA, Romar played and coached for Athletes in Action. Romar was then hired as an assistant coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) under head coach Jim Harrick from 1992 to 1996, and was credited with recruiting many of the players on the 1995 national championship team.^[1] Romar became the head coach at Pepperdine University and then at Saint Louis University before taking the job at Washington in 2002.

Washington

Romar was credited with turning around the University of Washington basketball program and generating new enthusiasm for the program. In 2004, Washington qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years. In 2005, Washington won the Pac-10 tournament and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies made their way to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1998, but were ousted by Louisville. In 2006, Washington earned a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive year.

After failing to make the NCAA Tournament the next two years, Romar was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for leading the Huskies to their first outright conference title since 1953. They earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost in the Second Round. The Huskies returned to the Sweet Sixteen the following year, but again lost. In 2011, the Huskies earned their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. The trip marked the Huskies' last trip to the Tournament under Romar.^[2]

With a season-opening win over South Carolina State on November 14, 2014, Romar passed Marv Harshman to become the second-winningest coach in UW history.^[3]

After four years of near .500 seasons and five years without an NCAA Tournament appearance, Romar recruited his long-time friend Michael Porter Sr. to join the Huskies as an assistant coach in 2016.^[4] Michael Porter Sr. was expected to bring his two sons, Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter, as commits to Washington. Michael Porter Jr. was widely considered the No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class.^[5] However, on March 15, 2017, following a dismal 9–22 season with future #1 pick Markelle Fultz leading the team, Romar was fired as head coach at Washington after 15 years.^[6] Romar ended his tenure at Washington with a record of 298–195. He made six NCAA Tournaments and three NITs, but had not made the NCAA Tournament in six straight years prior to his firing.^[7]

Arizona assistant coach

On April 16, 2017, it was announced that Romar had joined Sean Miller's staff at Arizona as associate head coach.^[8] On February 24, 2018, Romar was the interim head coach for one game after news broke the previous day that the FBI had reportedly intercepted phone conversations about Miller talking about paying Deandre Ayton to come to Arizona.^[9] Ayton would be the second straight #1 pick to be coached by Romar for at least one game.

Pepperdine (second stint)

Romar was announced as the new head men's basketball coach at Pepperdine on March 12, 2018, returning for his second stint with the school.^[10] On March 24, 2021, Romar's Waves beat Coastal Carolina 84–61 to win the 2021 College Basketball Invitational, securing the program's first-ever postseason championship. Romar was fired on March 4, 2024. ^[11]

Coaching style

Romar is known by his fellow coaches as one of the top basketball recruiters in the country.^{[ citation needed ]} Additionally, he is respected as a genuine and optimistic person^{[ citation needed ]} and was once voted "the opposing coach players would most like to play for" in a Pac-10 poll.^[12] In March 2006, Romar was given the prestigious Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" award for outstanding character.

Personal life

Romar is married to Leona Romar, with whom he has three daughters—Terra, Tavia and Taylor.^[13] In 2006, Lorenzo Romar and his wife Leona founded the Lorenzo Romar Foundation for the prevention of domestic violence and educational assistance for disadvantaged youth as well as other charitable causes.^[14]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Pepperdine Waves (West Coast Conference)(1996–1999)
1996–97	Pepperdine	6–21	4–10	T–6th
1997–98	Pepperdine	17–10	9–5	2nd
1998–99	Pepperdine	19–13	9–5	T–2nd	NIT first round
Saint Louis Billikens (Conference USA)(1999–2002)
1999–00	Saint Louis	19–14	7–9	T–7th	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2000–01	Saint Louis	17–14	8–8	7th
2001–02	Saint Louis	15–16	9–7	5th
Saint Louis:		51–44 (.537)	24–24 (.500)
Washington Huskies (Pacific-10/Pac-12 Conference)(2002–2017)
2002–03	Washington	10–17	5–13	9th
2003–04	Washington	19–12	12–6	2nd	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2004–05	Washington	29–6	14–4	2nd	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2005–06	Washington	26–7	13–5	2nd	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2006–07	Washington	19–13	8–10	7th
2007–08	Washington	16–17	7–11	8th	CBI first round
2008–09	Washington	26–9	14–4	1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2009–10	Washington	26–10	11–7	3rd	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2010–11	Washington	24–11	11–7	3rd	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2011–12	Washington	24–11	14–4	1st	NIT semifinal
2012–13	Washington	18–16	9–9	T–6th	NIT first round
2013–14	Washington	17–15	9–9	T–8th
2014–15	Washington	16–15	5–13	11th
2015–16	Washington	19–15	9–9	T–6th	NIT second round
2016–17	Washington	9–22	2–16	11th
Washington:		298–195 (.604)	143–127 (.530)
Pepperdine Waves (West Coast Conference)(2018–2024)
2018–19	Pepperdine	16–18	6–10	8th
2019–20	Pepperdine	16–16	8–8	6th
2020–21	Pepperdine	15–12	7–6	4th	CBI champions
2021–22	Pepperdine	7–25	1–15	10th
2022–23	Pepperdine	9–21	2–14	10th
2023–24	Pepperdine	13–20	5–11	T–6th
Pepperdine:		118–157 (.429)	51–84 (.378)
Total:		467–397 (.541)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Awards and honors

NCAA champion (1995, as assistant coach)
John Wooden "Keys to Life" Award (2006)
Pac-10/12 John R. Wooden Coach of the Year (2005, 2009, 2012)

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The 2004–05 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington in the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Lorenzo Romar's 3rd season at Washington. The Huskies played their home games at Bank of America Arena and are members of the Pacific-10 Conference. They finished the season 29–6, 14–4 in Pac-10 play and they captured the Pac–10 Tournament title and an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region, defeating Montana in the first round and Pacific in the second round before losing to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.

The 2010–11 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington in the 2010–11 college basketball season. This was head coach Lorenzo Romar's 9th season at Washington. The Huskies played their home games at Alaska Airlines Arena and are members of the Pacific-10 Conference. As the winner of the 2011 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament, the Huskies earn an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament, the school's 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament. At the national tournament, the Huskies beat Georgia in the second round before falling to eventual Elite Eight contender North Carolina in the third round. They finished the season with a 24–11 record.

The 2005–06 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington in the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. In head coach Lorenzo Romar's 4th season at the University of Washington, the Huskies played their home games at Bank of America Arena and were members of the Pacific-10 Conference. They finished the season 26–7, 13–5 in Pac-10 play and finished second in the Pac–10 regular season's final standings behind UCLA. They earned a 5 seed in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament, where they defeated 12th seeded Utah State in the 1st round, 4th seeded Illinois in the second round and eventually falling 98–92 in overtime to the region's 1 seed, UConn, in the Sweet 16. This was the 3rd straight season that the Huskies had appeared in the NCAA Tournament and 2nd straight year that they made it to the Sweet 16.

The 2016–17 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Members of the Pac-12 Conference, the Huskies were led by fifteenth-year head coach Lorenzo Romar and played their home games on campus at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.

The 2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by ninth-year head coach Sean Miller, and played their home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 14–4 in Pac-12 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Colorado, UCLA, and USC to win the Pac-12 tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where, as a No. 4 seed, they were upset in the first round by No. 13 seed Buffalo.

The 2017–18 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by first-year head coach Mike Hopkins, the Huskies played their home games at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in Pac-12 play, in a tie for sixth.

The 2017–18 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Waves were led by seventh-year head coach Marty Wilson and played their home games at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California as members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 6–26, 2–16 in WCC play to finish in last place. They defeated Santa Clara in the first round of the WCC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Saint Mary's.

The 2018–19 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 10th-year head coach Sean Miller and played their home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 17–15, 8–10 in Pac-12 play to finish in three-way tie for 6th place. They received the 9-seed in the 2019 Pac-12 tournament, where they lost to 8-seed USC in the first round, 65–78.

The 2018–19 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Waves were led by head coach Lorenzo Romar, in the first season of his second stint after coaching the Waves from 1996 to 1999. They played their home games at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California as members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 16–18, 8–10 in WCC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Pacific, Loyola Marymount, and San Francisco to advance to the semifinals of the WCC tournament were they were defeated by Gonzaga.

The 2018–19 West Coast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in September 2018 and will end with the 2019 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament March 2019. This is the 68th season for WCC men's basketball, and the 30th under its current name of "West Coast Conference". The conference was founded in 1952 as the California Basketball Association, became the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956, and dropped the word "Athletic" in 1989.

The 2001–02 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by ninth-year head coach Bob Bender, the Huskies were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.

The 2002–03 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by first-year head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.

The 2003–04 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by second-year head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.

The 2006–07 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth-year head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.

The 2019–20 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by seventh-year head coach Andy Enfield, they played their home games at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 11–7 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for third place. They were set to take on Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. However, the remainder of the Pac-12 tournament, and all other postseason tournaments, were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

↑ "Pepperdine officials welcome back Lorenzo Romar for 2nd stint as coach". www.seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ Allen, Percy (April 19, 2010). "Washington's Lorenzo Romar agrees to 10-year contract extension". www.seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ Pascoe, Bruce (February 3, 2018). "Seen and heard at Hec Ed Pavilion: Lorenzo Romar's standing O, Dawg Pack poetry, Washington is 'Tougher Together'". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ "Top basketball recruit Michael Porter Jr.'s father lands assistant job at Washington". The Seattle Times. May 6, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
↑ "ESPN Basketball Recruiting – Player Rankings". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
↑ "Washington fires Romar after 9–22 season". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
↑ Kolloen, Seth (March 15, 2017). "The Rise and Fall of Lorenzo Romar". www.seattleweekly.com. Seattle Weekly and Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ "Lorenzo Romar hired as Arizona associate head coach". CoachesDatabase.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
↑ "Sean Miller won't coach Arizona's game Saturday vs. Oregon". www.espn.com. ESPN. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
↑ "Lorenzo Romar to Return as Basketball Coach". www.pepperdinewaves.com. Pepperdine Athletics. March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
↑ "Polk carries Pepperdine over Coastal Carolina for CBI title". www.espn.com. ESPN. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
↑ "Lorenzo Romar to Return as Pepperdine Men's Basketball Coach". www.pepperdine.edu. Pepperdine University. March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ "Lorenzo Romar Bio". www.gohuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
↑ Hansen, Greg (April 8, 2017). "Three ways Lorenzo Romar could help Sean Miller, Arizona Wildcats improve". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

External links

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[1] "Pepperdine officials welcome back Lorenzo Romar for 2nd stint as coach". www.seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[2] Allen, Percy (April 19, 2010). "Washington's Lorenzo Romar agrees to 10-year contract extension". www.seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[3] Pascoe, Bruce (February 3, 2018). "Seen and heard at Hec Ed Pavilion: Lorenzo Romar's standing O, Dawg Pack poetry, Washington is 'Tougher Together'". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[4] "Top basketball recruit Michael Porter Jr.'s father lands assistant job at Washington". The Seattle Times. May 6, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2017.

[5] "ESPN Basketball Recruiting – Player Rankings". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2017.

[6] "Washington fires Romar after 9–22 season". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2017.

[7] Kolloen, Seth (March 15, 2017). "The Rise and Fall of Lorenzo Romar". www.seattleweekly.com. Seattle Weekly and Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[8] "Lorenzo Romar hired as Arizona associate head coach". CoachesDatabase.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017.

[9] "Sean Miller won't coach Arizona's game Saturday vs. Oregon". www.espn.com. ESPN. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.

[10] "Lorenzo Romar to Return as Basketball Coach". www.pepperdinewaves.com. Pepperdine Athletics. March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

[11] "Polk carries Pepperdine over Coastal Carolina for CBI title". www.espn.com. ESPN. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.

[12] "Lorenzo Romar to Return as Pepperdine Men's Basketball Coach". www.pepperdine.edu. Pepperdine University. March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[13] "Lorenzo Romar Bio". www.gohuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

[14] Hansen, Greg (April 8, 2017). "Three ways Lorenzo Romar could help Sean Miller, Arizona Wildcats improve". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

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Personal information
Romar celebrates Washington's 2011 Pac-10 tournament championship.
Born	(1958-11-13) November 13, 1958 (age 65) South Gate, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	171 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High school	Saint Pius X (Downey, California)
College	Cerritos College (1976–1978) Washington (1978–1980)
NBA draft	1980: 7th round, 141st overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career	1980–1985
Position	Point guard
Number	18, 5, 14
Coaching career	1992–present
Career history
As player:
1980–1983	Golden State Warriors
1983–1984	Milwaukee Bucks
1985	Detroit Pistons
As coach:
1992–1996	UCLA (assistant)
1996–1999	Pepperdine
1999–2002	Saint Louis
2002–2017	Washington
2017–2018	Arizona (associate HC)
2018–2024	Pepperdine

Career highlights and awards
As coach: CBI champion (2021) 2× Pac-12 regular season champion (2009, 2012) 3× Pac-10 tournament champion (2005, 2010, 2011) C-USA tournament champion (2000) 3× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2005, 2009, 2012)

Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com