Last season, Paul Combs guided the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team back to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since Bo Ryan was the school's coach.
Just like Ryan did 10 years ago, Combs has parlayed success at Platteville to a new job coaching at a higher level.
This afternoon, Combs will be named the new head coach at Wayne State College, an NCAA Division II school in northeast Nebraska. The school has scheduled a 3 p.m. press conference to announce the hiring.
Combs met with members of his UW-Platteville team Wednesday to inform them he was taking the job at Wayne State. He was named one of five finalists for the position on April 17.
Messages left with Combs and the UW-Platteville athletic department were not returned.
Jeff Skemp, the Hazel Green, Wis., native who just completed his final season playing for UW-Platteville, said the time was right for Combs to move on.
"We just had a very successful year. "| His market value, I think, is pretty high," said Skemp, an all-American
| Combs at Platteville Overall record (6 years): 103-56 WIAC record: 61-35 Conference titles: 2004-05 NCAA tournament appearances: 2008-09 Honors: 2004-05 WIAC coach of the year |
In 2008-09, Combs' sixth season in Platteville, the Pioneers were ranked in the top 10 in the country throughout the season, including one week at No. 1. They started the season with an 84-79 exhibition victory over Division I Bradley and finished 23-6, second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UWP earned a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999, Ryan's last season at UWP.
After that '99 season, Ryan was hired by UW-Milwaukee, where he spent two seasons before getting the Wisconsin job. Combs has now turned the 2009 season into his professional springboard.
"I understand the business side of it," Skemp said. "This was the right move for him as a family and a coach. You can't blame him for that."
During Combs' six seasons in Platteville, his teams posted a record of 103-56, a winning percentage of 64 percent. The Pioneers were 61-35 in the WIAC, one of the strongest D-III leagues in the country, and won a conference title in the 2004-05 season.
Prior to coming to Platteville, Combs coached for four years at Lakeland (Wis.) College. His overall career record is 163-101.
Wayne State announced on March 9 that it would not renew the contract of coach Rico Burkett, who was 111-138 in nine seasons there. The school is in Wayne, Neb., a little more than an hour west of Sioux City, Iowa, on the Iowa-Nebraska border.
Jeff Gard, the lead assistant on Combs' UWP staff, a southwest Wisconsin native and UWP alum, said he will apply for the UW-Platteville opening.
"I'm definitely going to throw my hat in the ring at Platteville," Gard said Wednesday. "This is a great institution that I've been fortunate to be a part of, as a student and a coach.
"I'd like to be the one to be able to continue that success."
