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Gonzaga Basketball

Former Gonzaga assistant, Eastern Washington head coach Ray Giacoletti joins Saint Louis’ staff

Gonzaga assistant Ray Giacoletti, right, and head coach Mark Few disagree with a foul call during the Zags’ 2013 NCAA Tournament win over Southern. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

Former Gonzaga assistant coach and Eastern Washington head coach Ray Giacoletti is back in the coaching profession.

Giacoletti has been hired as assistant to the head coach on Travis Ford’s staff at Saint Louis.

“I have long been impressed with Travis Ford, both as a player and as a coach,” Giacoletti said in a school release. “He is building something very special at Saint Louis, and I look forward to working with this great staff and great players as we continue to raise the profile of SLU basketball.”

Giacoletti had head coaching stints at North Dakota State (1998-2000), EWU (2001-04), Utah (2005-07) and Drake (2014-17). He was on Gonzaga’s staff from 2008-2013, a span when the Zags compiled a 163-41 record.

Giacoletti guided EWU to the NIT in 2003, the Eagles’ first postseason tournament berth after joining NCAA Division I in 1983. EWU followed that up with the program’s first Big Sky Tournament title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament, earning Giacoletti 2004 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year honors. He earned a promotion to Utah and led the Utes to the Sweet 16 in 2005.

Giacoletti has a 203-192 record as a head coach.

The Peoria, Illinois, native worked as a television analyst last season, covering games in the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley conferences.