| Casey Stitzel helped transform Delaware Valley's basketball program from doormat to three-time conference champions in eight years. Delaware Valley athletics file photo |
Casey Stitzel has stepped down as assistant athletic director/head men’s basketball coach at Delaware Valley University to accept the head coaching position at Division II Millersville (Pa.).
Stitzel spent eight seasons at DelVal and orchestrated an impressive turnaround of the program’s fortunes. Prior to his arrival, the Aggies had reached the conference playoffs just once in their history and were coming off a season that saw them go 3-22 overall and 0-14 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom.
Under Stitzel, DelVal notched 116 wins (116-96) with four Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom championship-game appearances, three MAC Freedom championships and three NCAA playoff berths. He leaves as the program’s all-time leader in wins and his .547 winning percentage is highest for an Aggie men’s basketball coach since 1961. In fact, DelVal needed 20 years prior to Stitzel's arrival to accumulate 116 victories.
Stitzel’s rookie campaign resulted in a 10-game overall improvement as the '08-09 team went 13-13 overall (13-12 in the regular season) and 8-8 in the conference. It was the first winning record in the regular season for the program since 1986-87 and culminated in the first postseason berth since the 1968-69 campaign.
Two years later, the team was picked to finish fifth in the MAC Freedom preseason coaches' poll. Instead, they finished atop the standings and earned the right to host postseason games for the first time in program history. They won both playoff contests, including a 79-58 rout of DeSales University in the finals for the conference championship and an NCAA playoff berth (joining football as the lone two DelVal sports to reach the NCAAs in team-qualifying competition). Stitzel took home his first MAC Freedom Coach of the Year Award and James Jones became the program’s first All-American.
After an injury-riddled 2011-12 season, DelVal was back in the MAC Freedom championship game in 2012-13. This time, the Aggies defeated DeSales on the road for title number two. Stitzel was the MAC Freedom Coach of the Year and Jeremy Beckett earned All-America accolades as the team finished with a 19-9 mark.
After a year out of the postseason, the Aggies won 16 games in 2014-15 and reached the MAC Freedom title game before falling on the road. They graduated eight players and 53 points per game from the squad, but Stitzel and the 2015-16 edition turned in the greatest season in program history. They won 20 games (20-8) for the first time in school history, including a record 10-game winning streak, and were ranked regionally for the first time in program history. They pulled out a last-second win at defending champion Misericordia in the semifinals and then defeated Wilkes University at home for the right to cut down the nets.
"We thank Casey Stitzel for his tremendous work with the DelVal men’s basketball program, not only on the court but off it as well,” DelVal director of athletics Steve Cantrell said. “We knew this day was coming when a higher-level opportunity would be there and wish him and his wife Liz nothing but the best."
Stitzel takes over a Millersville program that went 4-22 last season. His father Glenn was a two-sport star at Millersville where he played basketball and baseball. He holds the school record for points scored in a basketball game (58) and played baseball eight years in the minor leagues.
DelVal will immediately begin a search for Stitzel’s successor.