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Ray Giacoletti has been elevated to the role of assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Louis University, head coach Travis Ford announced today. Giacoletti was a member of the Billikens’ staff last season, serving as assistant to the head coach.
“I am appreciative of Coach Ford and the SLU administration for this opportunity,” Giacoletti said. “Last year was a great experience working with the staff and our players, and on a personal level, it was enjoyable for me to be back in the game working with a tremendous group of guys. I look forward to adding to the culture that Coach Ford has done such a great job of building here at Saint Louis University.”
“I am excited to move Ray into a full-time coaching position,” Ford said. “He was an incredible asset to our team last year, stepping in for Coach Tate after his injury occurred. Ray brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to our program and has already developed great relationships with our players.”
Giacoletti has 14 years of experience as a head coach, including stints at Utah and Eastern Washington where he guided teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Giacoletti’s experience as a head coach consists of three years at North Dakota State (1997-2000), four years at Eastern Washington (2000-04), three years at Utah (2004-07), and four years at Drake (2013-17).
In addition to his head coaching experience, Giacoletti served as an assistant coach for six years at Gonzaga (2007-13) under Mark Few. The Bulldogs went to six straight NCAA Tournaments, won five West Coast Conference titles and posted a 163-41 record during Giacoletti’s time at Gonzaga.
After being named the 2004 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year and leading Eastern Washington to the NCAA Tournament, Giacoletti was hired at Utah in 2004 to replace Rick Majerus. Giacoletti led the Utes to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2005 and was a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year honors. He has a 14-year head coaching record of 203-192.
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Giacoletti graduated from Minot State University with a degree in physical education in 1985. He was a four-year letterman on the court, including two years as team captain.
Giacoletti began his coaching career as a student assistant coach at Minot State in 1984-85 while he finished his degree. He was also a graduate assistant at Western Illinois (1985-86) and an assistant coach at Oral Roberts (1986-87), Illinois State (1990-93) and Washington (1994-97) before becoming a head coach.
