Pitt assistant coach joins Bruin basketball
By Greg Schain
April 14, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Former Pittsburgh assistant coach Ernie Zeigler was hired Monday
as an assistant coach on Ben Howland’s new UCLA staff.
Zeigler, who spent the past two seasons working under Howland at
Pittsburgh, is the first assistant to be hired by Howland.
Fellow Pittsburgh assistant Jamie Dixon will not be coming to
UCLA. He has instead taken the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.
“I am excited and feel extremely fortunate that Ernie is
joining us at UCLA,” Howland said in a statement. “He
is of the highest caliber in all facets of coaching.”
Before joining Pittsburgh in 2001, Zeigler, 37, spent one year
each as an assistant at Kansas State and Bowling Green State.
He also has experience coaching in Saudi Arabia, China and at
the high-school level in Detroit.
“He knows what it takes to run a successful basketball
program and is of the highest integrity who will represent UCLA in
a first-class manner,” Howland said.
In his two seasons at Pitt, the team was 57-11, reaching the
NCAA Sweet 16 both years.
Had Dixon not been promoted, he would have likely joined the
UCLA staff.
Dixon was also considered for the head coaching positions at
Wright State and Illinois State, but both schools hired other
candidates.
