Utah Utes basketball: Assistant joining Pepperdine staff

FORT WORTH, Texas — Utah assistant coach Marty Wilson will be heading back to his alma mater at the conclusion of this season as the associate head coach at Pepperdine University.

Wilson, 41, interviewed for the job over the weekend and will join new coach Tom Asbury when the Utes' season is complete.

"I am very excited to return home to where my college basketball playing and coaching career began," Wilson said. "I am thankful that Coach Asbury, John Watson and Andy Benton are allowing me the opportunity to return and assist in restoring a program that has such a long tradition of excellence."

Wilson is expected to take over for the 62-year-old Asbury within a couple of years after serving as associate head coach.

Wilson has spent the last four seasons (2005-08) at Utah. During his first season, the Utes went 29-6, won the Mountain West Conference's regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. He was retained by coach Jim Boylen when he got the job last March.

"I'm disappointed that we're losing a quality assistant coach and a high-character guy," Boylen said. "But I'm very excited for Marty to have this opportunity to go back to his alma mater and rebuild a program. He will be missed here at Utah and we wish him the best."

Wilson, who has been coaching in the college ranks for 18 seasons, is no stranger to Pepperdine. He was a four-year letterwinner who graduated from the school in 1989. He also served as an assistant coach for six seasons (1991-96), four under Asbury.

During his final season in Malibu, he stepped in as interim head coach for the final 13 games.

"I've had a working professional relationship with Marty going back over 20 years," said Asbury, who was head coach at Pepperdine from 1989-94 and announced last week he was returning to Malibu to take over again next season. "He is a highly qualified coach, an outstanding individual and family man and an excellent representative of our university. I'm exceedingly pleased that he chose to join us and return to Malibu and Pepperdine University. We expect great things from him in the future."

Wilson stayed in Southern California for the next several years, first spending two seasons (1996-97 and 1997-98) as an assistant coach at San Diego, where he was also the recruiting coordinator.