UW hoops: Huskies promote Raphael Chillious to associate head coach

Washington Huskies men’s basketball assistant coach Raphael Chillious has been promoted to associate head coach, the school announced on Monday.

Chillious has spent six of the last seven seasons as an assistant under coach Lorenzo Romar, leaving in 2012-13 for an assistant job at Villanova before returning to UW the following year. He is regarded as one of the west coast’s best recruiters, and was integral in securing the signature of incoming McDonald’s All-America guard Markelle Fultz.

“I’m very appreciative and thankful that both the administration and Lorenzo feel as strongly about me as I feel about the program and the direction that we are going as a unit,” Chillious said in a statement released by the school. “Coach Romar has done a fantastic job of not only cultivating long-lasting relationships with his players but with this move it’s clear that he’s deeply invested in the stability of his staff. I’m really looking forward to what we’re going to accomplish in the very near future as a program.”

Said Romar: “Raphael is one of the top assistant coaches in the country, and while he has a great reputation as a recruiter, he is much more than that. He’s very good on the floor with the student-athletes and during games. I believe he’s ready to run his own program. He’s a well-rounded coach and we are lucky to have him as part of our program.”

Chillious came to UW in 2009 from South Kent Prep in Connecticut -- Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning each played there -- where he was head coach from 2003-08. Chillious has also worked for Nike as a business manager for Elite Youth Basketball in Beaverton, Oregon.

Updated salary details, if there are any, were not immediately available.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "UW hoops: Huskies promote Raphael Chillious to associate head coach."