The Todd Holthaus coaching tree now includes two head coaches of women’s college basketball teams.
One of his assistant coaches, Tim Larsen, has been hired by Eastern Wyoming College. Eastern Wyoming is an NJCAA Division I program.
The other head coach who served under Holthaus at Pima is Chris Klassen, who recently completed his second season at SUNY Canton, an NCAA Division III program.
“The opportunity at Eastern Wyoming is incredibly exciting,” Larsen mentioned. “To be able to coach my own program at the NJCAA D1 level, I’m not sure it’s still hit me but I couldn’t be more excited. It will be a new adventure for me and my family.”
Larsen and Klassen are from Tucson. Larsen is a Mountain View High School and Arizona grad and Klassen graduated from Palo Verde High School before playing at William Penn in Iowa.
Larsen also joined Holthaus’ staff that includes legendary longtime local coaches Jim Rosborough and Pete Fajardo after Klassen’s departure.
“Being at Pima and working with amazing coaches, like Todd and Ros and Pete has been an unbelievable experience,” Larsen stated. “Seeing how coaches who are ultra successful in this profession go about things is truly a privilege. The culture that Coach T has at Pima is unlike any other. It’s bigger than basketball.
“The relationships that they have with current and former players is why you get into coaching and why Pima has been so successful. Wins and championships are great and what we all strive for but having players reach out and come back to the program and grow while they are here is amazing. That’s honestly what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Larsen took over as head coach of the Tucson Rattlers U17 club team in 2019 after Klassen left to become an assistant coach at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. Klassen continues to own and operate the Rattlers.
“While leaving the players and staff at Pima and the Tucson Rattlers is incredibly difficult and bittersweet, I am really looking forward to building new relationships up there with the staff and new players,” Larsen said.
Larsen’s background also includes being the assistant athletic director/associate head coach of the men’s basketball team at Tohono O’odham Community College from 2017-2020 and head women’s basketball coach at Tohono O’odham Community College from 2012-2015.
He was also the Catalina Foothills High School junior varsity boys head coach and varsity assistant from 2009-11.
Eastern Wyoming had a roster in 2021-22 that included nine foreign players. Its season was played with an interim coach because the head coach Tom Andersen, also the school’s athletic director, took over the men’s program following the resignation of its coach before the season started.
“The team last year went 18-12 and return most of their players,” Larsen said. “I have been able to meet them over Zoom and will be meeting them in person next week. They seem like a great group. I am very excited to start this new journey with all of them.”
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