Y. hoops assistant departs

PROVO — BYU sssistant men's basketball coach Walter Roese has accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of San Diego. Roese, who has been with the Cougar program for five years, has been added to the staff of former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier, who was hired to lead the Toreros on March 26.

"Walter has been very instrumental in our success, and I really appreciate all he has done for our program," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "He has a great future in this business, and I wish him the best as he starts a new challenge in his career."

A native of Brazil, Roese began his tenure with the Cougars in 2003 as the director of basketball operations under former coach Steve Cleveland. He was hired as an assistant coach in 2006 after the promotion of Rose to the head job, becoming the first Brazilian full-time assistant coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball.

Roese helped the Cougars achieve back-to-back 20-win seasons in his two years as an assistant coach, including the program's first outright league title since 1988 and first national ranking since 1993 in 2007. In his first season as an assistant, he helped the Cougars become the nation's second-most improved team with a 20-9 overall record. BYU led the Mountain West Conference in scoring and assists both years.