Current and former Penn basketball coaches seem to have littered the news in recent months, and Monday, that trend continued.
This time, it was Division III Christopher Newport University (Va.) announcing the hiring of Penn alum and former Quakers assistant John Krikorian as the fourth head men’s basketball coach in the program’s 44-year history.
Krikorian is now faced with the tough task of replacing the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Captains’ history, C.J. Woollum, who will now serve solely as Director of Athletics at CNU.
A 1996 graduate of the College, Krikorian played on Penn’s junior varsity team — then coached by current Boston College head man Steve Donahue — during his collegiate career. He then returned to the Palestra as an assistant under Fran Dunphy from 2000 to 2002.
As a member of the Red and Blue staff, Krikorian worked mainly with post players, including former Ivy Player of the Year Ugonna Onyekwe. He was also involved in recruiting and scouting and served as head coach of the JV team.
Following his stint with the Quakers, Krikorian spent two seasons at Lafeyette College under head coach Fran O’Hanlon. O’Hanlon also served as an assistant to Dunphy, from 1990 to 1995, and was rumored to be a candidate for Penn’s head coaching vacancy before Jerome Allen was hired in March.
“He’s worked for some fantastic coaches, and they’re unanimous in their praise of his abilities,” Woollum said of Krikorian in a CNUsports.com press release.
Krikorian’s previous experience as a head coach includes four years at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, where he compiled a 65-42 record.
He takes over a Captains’ team that went 15-13 last season, but qualified for the D-III NCAA Tournament after winning the USA South conference tournament.
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