West Chester East High School graduate Chris Gerlufsen has been named head coach of the University of San Francisco men’s basketball team.

It marks the first time that Gerlufsen, 45, has been given the reins to a program. He spent more than 20 years as an assistant coach on the NCAA Division I level.

He earned the promotion at USF, where he was an assistant coach and helped the Dons qualify for this year’s NCAA Tournament. It was USF’s first tournament berth since 1998. Todd Golden vacated the position of head coach when he recently accepted the same position at the University of Florida.

“Much of the success we had this season was because of the addition of Chris to our staff,” Golden said of Gerlufsen. “He is a great man, who is also an outstanding basketball coach. There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue leading this program on its upward trajectory and continue taking the Dons to new heights. Chris will be a fantastic leader for this program moving forward.”

Prior to his arrival at USF, Gerlufsen, who graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics, had been an assistant at The Citadel, Hartford, San Diego, and Hawaii.

“Having had the opportunity to observe Coach Gerlufsen on the bench this season, as well at Hawaii and San Diego, we are thrilled to have his leadership and expertise for our student-athletes as we aim to continue our success both on and off the court,” said USF Director of Athletics Joan McDermott.

“My time here … has been nothing short of spectacular thus far,” said Gerlufsen. “I am ready to get to work immediately with our players to build on the foundation that has been laid as we will strive to continue to compete for West Coast Conference championships and national recognition.”