On April Fool’s Day, Athletics director Brian Wickstrom didn’t joke around when announcing the new hire, Jeff Dow, as the head coach of women’s basketball Tuesday morning at a press conference in Malone Stadium.

“I think women’s basketball is a chance to really catapult everything on this campus to a higher level,” Wickstrom said.

He said this higher is not only important for the program but for the community and institution as well.

Dow has most recently served as the head coach of women’s basketball at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2008-2013.

While there he compiled a total record of 108-40 (.730). Prior to his time at IUP, he put together a record of 79-17 (.823)  at Anderson of SC.

“We want to continue to be competitive but do it in the right way,” Dow said.

This will be Dow’s first job as a head coach in Division I.

His first head coaching job was at Texas A&M-Kingsville. He has served as assistant at New Mexico State, UC-Irvine, Santa Clara and Colorado State University.

Dow spent one season as the interim head coach at the University of Texas San Antonio.

“I realize that this is a tremendous honor and certainly one that I value,” Dow said.

He’ll take over a team that lost four seniors and qualified for the Sun Belt Conference tournament in New Orleans.

“We want to try to represent the university well in terms of wins and losses. We’re going to recruit firstclass people,” Dow said.