Women’s and Men’s Basketball Programs Add Full Time Assistants

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) Carnegie Mellon University men’s and women’s basketball programs added two new faces to the Tartan Family when each team hired a full-time assistant coach as announced Thursday, June 23, 2005. Head Coach Gerri Seidl, in her 22nd year at the helm of the women’s program, announced the addition of Brad Durchslag. On the men’s side, 16th year Head Coach Tony Wingen announced the hiring of part-time assistant coach Kevin Byrne.

Brad Durchslag comes to Carnegie Mellon from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where he served as a part-time assistant for four years and also worked with the team while he was a student at Trinity.

Durchslag is a 1999 graduate of Trinity University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication. Brad left San Antonio briefly to pursue careers in radio and accounting, but went back to the Tigers to feed his passion for coaching basketball. In 2004 he received his Master’s degree in Education from UTSA and taught as a professor in the physical education department there.

While Durchslag coached at Trinity, the Tigers won the NCAA Division III Championship in 2003 and compiled a four year record of 93-22.

"Brad is a hard-working, motivated team player. He has a great deal of energy and enthusiasm as well as being an accomplished recruiter who thrives in the challenging, fast-paced environment of the basketball arena," says Head Coach Gerri Seidl. "He is dedicated and will be an integral part of the future success of the Carnegie Mellon Women's Basketball Program."

Kevin Byrne will enter his sixth season as assistant coach for the Tartans after spending the last five as a part-time assistant. Prior to Carnegie Mellon Byrne served as an assistant coach at Marietta College .

A 1996 graduate of Carnegie Mellon, Byrne was a four-year letter winner in basketball. The 6-6 forward ended his career as the school’s third all-time scoring leader with 1,272 points. He was named first team All-UAA his senior year and second team All-UAA as a junior.

After graduation, Byrne played professional basketball, one year with the Delaware Blue Bombers and one year each in England and Ireland .

"Having the opportunity to add a full-time assistant is a very exciting, positive move forward for our program. Hiring Kevin Byrne to fill the position makes it not just a 'move', but a 'leap'," comments Head Coach Tony Wingen. "Kevin has been associated with all of the most successful years here during my tenure, either as a player or as a part-time assistant. I look forward to working even more closely with Coach Byrne to make Carnegie Mellon basketball one of the top programs in the country."

The men’s team will also retain David Pastorkovich and Ray Pietras as part-time assistants and Oytun Ozer as a volunteer assistant coach.

Both teams open up play in late November with the men traveling to Grove City on the 18th to play Washington and Jefferson in the first round of the annual West Penn Classic. The women will open play Saturday the 19th as they take part in the Johns Hopkins Tournament.