SLU Names Francis Assistant Women's Basketball Coach

St. Louis - Saint Louis University head women's basketball coach Jill Pizzotti today announced that Tony Francis has been named assistant basketball coach. His responsibilities for the Billikens primarily will include recruiting, scouting of opponents and on-court coaching.

"Tony is an outstanding addition to our coaching staff," Pizzotti said. "He established a powerhouse program at Silex High School where he won a state championship. Tony is an excellent teacher of fundamental basketball. We will lean on his knowledge of the talent in the state of Missouri in our recruiting efforts."

Francis led the Owls to the 2001 Class 1A Missouri State Championship and was named the 1A Coach of the Year. This past season, Silex finished with a 17-7 record, including an overtime loss to eventual state champion New Haven in the regionals. Francis guided Silex to five district and conference championships, the first in school history. The Owls reached the quarterfinals of the 1A tournament three times under his direction. Francis has coached five All-State players and has had nine players sign basketball scholarships. He has been named Northeast District Coach of the Year and was selected Lincoln County Coach of the Year five times. Francis has coached in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame game and had an eight-year record of 159-67 at Silex.

Francis has been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers six times in eight years at Silex. He also coached the Silex softball team to a runner-up finish in the Missouri State Championship and three Final Four appearances. Francis served as athletic director for three years and was cross country coach for two seasons.

Prior to his stint at Silex, Francis was an assistant coach for the boys team at Ralls County High School in Center, Mo., and was the head coach of the Junior High boys team. He was head golf coach at Ralls County and served as an assistant football coach for three years.

Francis was a guard at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., where he graduated with a degree in physical education in 1991. He began his coaching career as a student assistant coach at his alma mater and helped the team win a Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship.