Getting to Know Southern Indiana – Part Two

One-on-One with Stan Gouard

(St. Louis, MO) – Ohio Valley Conference basketball fans are going to get to know the name, Stan Gouard. As Southern Indiana joins the conference next season, they bring with them an accomplished man at the helm of their basketball program.

Leaving Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference for D1 and the OVC will not be easy for the Screaming Eagles’ program, but the with Gouard at the controls, it won’t take them long to be very competitive in the new-look league.

Gouard was a two-time, Division II National Player of the Year while he played for the Evansville-based school. The Danville, Illinois native led USI, coached by Bruce Pearl, to the 1995 national title. After a professional playing career, he began his coaching journey.

Gouard’s Journey Home

Part of his journey included a stop at Indiana State where he worked for the late Royce Waltman. After his three seasons in Terre Haute, he became the head coach at the University of Indianapolis.

While Waltman is legendary as a disciplinarian (Bob Knight coaching tree), Gouard says he learned huge life and coaching lessons from the deceased Waltman.

 

 

While at UIndy, Gouard led the Greyhounds to 228 wins in 12 years and six NCAA Tournament appearances. After his first two seasons, the GLVC squad had ten straight winning seasons, five, twenty-win campaigns.

Gouard returned ‘home’ to coach his alma mater and as has gone 30-12 over the last two seasons. He says the decision to leave the Greyhounds was difficult, but he and his wife Chasity (also a USI graduate) decided it was time to go home.

 

 

Joining the OVC

After great success at the D2 level now Gouard is moving to D1 without having to leave the team and program he loves. USI’s Screaming Eagles Arena will instantly become one of the best venues in the OVC. The 4,800 seat arena is ‘state of the art’ and beautiful.

Gouard has been around and watched the OVC for a long time. His home town is near Eastern Illinois and the league tournament is in his backyard annually. He was surprised that the D1 move happened as quickly as it did after he rejoined USI, but he wasn’t shocked that it happened.

 

 

USI defeated Illinois-Springfield on Monday and play Missouri-St. Louis Friday in the quarterfinals of the GLVC post season tournament. Ironically, those games are being played at Southern Illinois Edwardsville where Gouard will be visiting opponent next season.

Our complete interview can be heard at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts . Our interview with Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall is here.

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