Gutierrez out at W&J
Glenn Gutierrez’s nine-year run as the head men’s basketball coach at Washington & Jefferson College is over.
Gutierrez submitted his resignation Monday following the Presidents’ injury-plagued 2-24 season. W&J finished 1-15 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and lost to Westminster in the first round of the PAC tournament.
“We want to thank Coach Gutierrez for his nine years with our men’s basketball program,” said Scott McGuinnes, W&J’s interim co-Director of Athletics. “We wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
Gutierrez had a 104-140 career record with the Presidents, and his .426 winning percentage is the fourth-best in program history.
W&J’s best season under Gutierrez was 2008-09, when the Presidents won the ECAC South Tournament and posted a 20-10 record, which was only the second 20-win season in school history.
Gutierrez was named the PAC Coach of the Year in 2007-08 after leading the Presidents to the title game of the conference tournament for the second year in a row.
The Presidents went 13-13 in 2013-14 and was to return forward Nate Bellhy, who was a first team All-PAC selection, for this season. However, the Presidents’ season took a major hit in the preseason when Bellhy suffered groin injury making a noncontact move during practice. The injury caused Bellhy to miss the entire season.
W&J never recovered from the loss of Bellhy, who averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in 2013-14. The Presidents lost their first eight games this season before defeating Penn State-DuBois (99-67) Dec. 22. W&J then lost 14 in a row before defeating Westminster (61-50) in the final week of the regular season. Five of the Presidents’ first seven losses in PAC play were by single digits.
Each of W&J’s top three scorers this season were seniors.
Gutierrez, a former player at West Liberty, spent a significant part of his coaching career in Western Pennsylvania and Washington County. For 21 years, Gutierrez was a college assistant coach, including 18 seasons under head coach Jim Boone at California, Robert Morris and Eastern Michigan. Gutierrez also coached at Winthrop and Charleston Southern, and he was director of basketball operations at Duquesne for a year before being hired as W&J’s head coach in April 2006.