TOLEDO, Ohio – Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk announced the promotions of Jason Kalsow and Kyle Barlow to men's basketball associate head coach and assistant coach, respectively, on Thursday. Kowalczyk also said that former Rockets Justin Ingram and Jordan Lauf will join his coaching staff in the roles of Director of Operations and Graduate Assistant Coach.
"I'm excited and proud to promote Jason (Kalsow) and Kyle (Barlow) to new roles within our program and to also have Justin (Ingram) and Jordan (Lauf) join our coaching staff," Kowalczyk said. "I believe each of them possesses distinct qualities to help us continue to grow as a basketball program."
Kalsow came to Toledo prior to the 2010-11 season after spending two seasons with Kowalczyk at Green Bay. During his time at UT, Kalsow has helped the Rockets place at least two players on the Mid-American Conference's all-league squad in each of the last six years, including four first-team recipients.
"Jason has been with me for the last 10 years and has been my top assistant for a long time," Kowalczyk said. "I think Jason is one of the best assistant coaches in the country, and I look at Jason as an extension of myself in practice and on the bench during games."
"I want to thank Coach Kowalczyk for this promotion and I am happy to assume this new position," Kalsow said. "The support our program receives from the university and community is tremendous, and I look forward to helping continue our success into the future."
Joining Kalsow in a coaching role on the sidelines will be Barlow, who has served as the Rockets' director of operations the last three years.
"Kyle has been with our program for the last three years and is very deserving of his promotion," Kowalczyk said. "He's as smart of a basketball coach that I've ever been around and our players love him. I also believe Kyle will do a tremendous job for us as a recruiter with his personality, work ethic and drive."
Barlow has helped Toledo accumulate 54 victories since taking a seat on UT's bench prior to the 2014-15 season with six different Rockets earning all-conference honors during that time frame. Prior to coming to Toledo, Barlow served as a graduate manager for Michigan's basketball program from 2012-14 and played a role in the Wolverines notching a 59-17 record for the most wins in back-to-back seasons in the history of the program.
"I'm extremely excited to assume this new role with Coach Kowalczyk," Barlow said. "In my three years here, I have fallen in love with the University of Toledo and built lifelong relationships with our current and former players. I look forward to continuing to learn from Coach Kowalczyk and upholding the standards he and his staffs have set by recruiting and developing student-athletes into great players and young men."
Replacing Barlow on UT's staff is Ingram, an all-time Rocket great who spent this past season as an associate head coach at Olivet (Mich.) College.
"We're delighted to bring back UT Hall of Famer, Justin Ingram, to our program following a long playing career in Europe and a year of coaching at the collegiate level," Kowalczyk said. "Justin has done a great job of staying in touch with me during my tenure, and I have a great deal of respect for him. He's somebody that we're going to groom to be an assistant coach in hopefully the not too distant future."
Ingram played professionally overseas in France, Hungary, Estonia, Greece and Switzerland prior to joining Olivet's coaching staff in 2016. He was inducted into UT's Varsity 'T' Hall of the Fame and is tied for 10th on the Rockets' all-time scoring list. Ingram earned 2003-04 MAC Freshman of the Year honors, second-team All-MAC laurels as a junior and received first-team All-MAC accolades as a senior while helping Toledo win the 2006-07 MAC regular season title with a 14-2 record.
"I'm extremely excited to be coming back to the University of Toledo," Ingram said. "This has always been and will always be home! I appreciate Coach Kowalczyk for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great program, and I'm looking forward to learning so much under his tutelage."
Rounding out the staff changes for the 2017-18 campaign is Lauf, who concluded his UT career last year by posting a team-high 59.0 field-goal percentage, ranking second on the team with 6.2 rpg and averaging 8.3 ppg. A business management major with a 3.310 GPA, Lauf earned Academic All-MAC honors for a second-straight year last season and holds the UT record with 133 games played.
"I have always envisioned Jordan being on our staff as a graduate assistant and I think he has a bright future in the coaching profession," Kowalczyk said. "When Jordan was on the floor as a player, it was like having a coach on the floor, and I think he will be able to impact our program in a variety of ways as our graduate assistant."
"It's an honor to join Coach Kowalczyk's staff as a graduate assistant," Lauf said. "I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about the coaching profession over the next two years and can't wait to get started."
