The UW-La Crosse men’s basketball program is adding a prominent local coach to its bench for the upcoming season. UW-L announced that former long-time Onalaska High School boys basketball coach Craig Kowal is joining the staff as an assistant. Kowal joins an Eagles program that is coming off a str ong season, which culminated in a second-consecutive deep run in the NCAA Division III tournament. While UW-L kept the initial announcement brief, Kowal brings an elite championship resume to the staff, after stepping down from Onalaska following a highly successful 18-season run. During his tenure with the Hilltoppers, Kowal built a powerhouse, averaging 19.3 wins per season, compiling a 347-102 record. His Onalaska teams won eight Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) championships and 13 regional titles. Onalaska made three WIAA Division 2 state tournament appearances, reaching the state title game twice and winning the state championship in 2012 under Kowal, who has coached high school for 26 years for a 481-176 record. That also included taking La Crescent to its first state tournament. The move to the Eagles’ bench also aligns with his son Ian Kowal, who joins the UW-La Crosse program as an incoming freshman after finishing his senior year at Onalaska. Last season, UW-L finished 24-7 and advanced to the Sweet 16 — the second-furthest the team’s gotten in the tournament after an Elite Eight run the year prior. The historic season was anchored by junior guard Sam Grieger, who became the first player in program history to be named the NABC Division III National Player of the Year after averaging 25.7 points per game — which shattered UW-L’s single-season scoring record. TOP PHOTO: Craig Kowal has been hired as an assistant men’s basketball coach at UW-La Crosse. (GRAPHIC: UW-L athletics) ...read more read less