Men’s Basketball:

Rhett Soliday, who as an assistant helped Concordia University win an NAIA men’s basketball crown in 2003 and coached the last four seasons at UC Irvine, has been named coach at Vanguard University, the school announced Monday.

Soliday, 30, steps in for Fred Litzenberger, who resigned after four seasons at the Lions’ helm.

Soliday was an assistant coach for four seasons at Concordia, where he played two seasons from 2000 through 2002.

He left Concordia to become an assistant at UCI. He spent three seasons in that role, before shifting to director of basketball operations for the Anteaters last season.

His coaching tenure with Ken Ammann at Concordia included an NAIA title game appearance in 2005 and a Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2005.

UCI reached the final of the Big West Conference Tournament in 2008.

“I feel honored and blessed to be named the head coach at Vanguard,” Soliday said in a statement. “All of my personal and professional development to this point has been geared toward being prepared for this opportunity. It’s not just about being a head coach, but about working at an institution like Vanguard with the quality of leadership that makes it so special. I couldn’t be more excited about the challenge that lies ahead for [the program].”

— From staff reports