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Thursday, June 22, 2023 – 05:30 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a career spanning more than three decades, including the last seven-plus years as the head coach at Avila, longtime college men’s basketball coach Bill Sloan has announced his retirement from college basketball as he begins a new chapter in his life with his family.

“It’s never easy to decide when it’s time to walk away, but Coach Sloan has given so much to the game of basketball at this level, and he’s left a mark on a lot of lives that many of us can only wish to do,” Avila University Director of Athletics Shawn Summe said. “It wasn’t an easy conversation, but he said he knew it was the right time to step away. I’m glad that he is able to do this on his own terms.”

“It’s kind of nice to do things this way instead of having somebody tell you that it’s time [to leave],” Sloan said. “I’ll always have fond memories of Avila and of the people there especially. I love Avila and the people there, and I’ll always be a supporter and help any way I can.”

A Kansas native, Sloan first came to Avila in 2014 as an assistant coach under Rodney Perry, who is now an assistant at Kansas State. Sloan assumed the role of interim head coach at Avila in 2016, taking on the position full-time shortly thereafter. The 2022-23 season was Sloan’s seventh as head coach of the Eagles, and ninth overall at Avila University.

In his time at Avila, Sloan has kept Avila firmly relevant in the KCAC – one of the most historically challenging conferences in the NAIA – every year, highlighted by Avila’s 73-65 victory over Friends in the first round of the KCAC Tournament in 2022, the team’s first postseason victory since they joined the conference ahead of the 2018 season. Sloan has coached multiple all-conference honorees in his time at Avila, including three straight all-conference selections for Shandon Boone from 2018-20 and three straight all-conference campaigns for Donte’ Simpson over the last three years.

Prior to arriving at Avila, Sloan served two stints as the top assistant coach at Kansas City Kansas Community College, first from 1991-1998 and then again from 2002-13. In total, he’s spent 28 years as a college men’s basketball coach and will now transition back to the high school ranks where he still be around the sport he loves while also prioritizing his health and spending more time with his family around the Leavenworth area.

One of the most experienced coaches – at any level – on Avila’s staff, in recent years Sloan has evolved into a mentor and leader for other coaches and staff around the department. His doors were always open – as were his practices – so other coaches could learn about the intricacies of the craft or simply glean some of his endless knowledge and passion for basketball.

“It’s important to have in an athletic department someone with the amount of experience that Bill has,” said Summe. “It was fun to watch him become the role of the mentor, and take it on willingly, without being asked. Whatever he does in life, he’ll always be teaching and coaching young adults into being better people.”

“It’s been a pleasure learning from and simply spending time with Coach Sloan over the last couple of years,” said Sports Information Director Tim Hackett. “His knowledge of, connections to and passion for the game of basketball is unmatched. The other younger coaches and I respect him greatly; he’s always someone that the less experienced coaches cite as a mentor and an exemplar of how a coach should act. What I respect most about Coach Sloan is that he’s very serious about his job, but he’s passionate about his sport and his players. Every former men’s basketball player that I’ve talked to – and even plenty of members of other teams – that truly got to know him truly loves him, and I think that’s the highest praise a coach can receive.”

On top of performance on the court, Sloan was committed to establishing meaningful, long-lasting relationships with his players away from basketball. During his tenure at Avila, men’s basketball players were fixtures at other campus events and games, served in important roles in the athletic department and on campus, and were successful academically.

“I love the fact that Coach Sloan did a great job of making sure his student-athletes were engaged with other parts of campus, not just the basketball team,” Summe said. “His goal was always to get his guys to understand that what he’s holding them accountable for on the court is the same thing that’s going to lead to accountability in life. He’s always been focused on his guys leaving here as better people, and being prepared for the real world – and that’s a big part of what we want to do here at Avila.”

“The relationships you build with your kids are what this job’s all about,” said Sloan. “There’s guys I still talk to from my first college team in 1991, guys that went to my kids’ games when they were really little. It’s about a whole lot more than just basketball, there’s no question.”

As his time at Avila comes to a close, Sloan will move on to the next chapter of his life, where he will both teach and coach girls’ basketball at Leavenworth High School alongside his longtime partner, and now wife, Kacy.

Avila Athletics would like to thank Bill and Kacy for their years of dedication to the men’s basketball program and to Avila University. A national search to determine the next head men’s basketball coach at Avila University has already been completed, and results will be unveiled later this week.

For interview requests and further information about this story or about any of Avila’s 14 varsity athletic teams, contact Sports Information Director Tim Hackett.

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