After serving as the Head Basketball Coach from 1999-2006, Tim Kjar will return to St. Catherine University for the 2013-14 season as the Wildcats' assistant coach while also taking on significant other duties in the department, Athletic Director Eric Stacey announced Monday.
 
“I am extremely excited to have Coach Kjar return to our athletic department,” said Stacey. “He has a great passion for St. Kate's and our basketball program.  He will be a tremendous asset for our department and for the University.”
 
During his previous tenure at St. Catherine, Kjar rebuilt the school's basketball program and helped lead the team to its first winning season since the 1970s when the Wildcats finished the 2002-03 season with a 14-11 record. Kjar also coached nine Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-Conference players including Jenna (Martin) Tanner '06 who led the league in rebounding in 2005-06 and was inducted into the Wildcat Hall of Fame in September 2012.
 
“Coach Kjar made basketball a great experience for me at St. Kate's,” said Tanner. “I had a lot of fun playing for him and learned a lot.”
 
After bringing in the largest recruiting class in program history for the 2006-07 season, Kjar is looking forward to his return and working with the most current group of student-athletes after seven years away from the program.
 
“I'm very excited to return to St. Kate's to be a part of a special place and great university,” said Kjar. “I was very fortunate to work with some unbelievable and awesome student-athletes in my first tenure at St. Kate's. I look forward to coaching and mentoring talented young ladies again.”
 
Alumnae Rachel (Berglund) Hakanson '08 excelled as a key player for the Wildcats under Kjar's direction and knows he will help the current St. Catherine program continue to improve.
 
“I was ecstatic to hear about Coach Kjar's return to the St. Catherine basketball program,” said Hakanson. “I believe Coach Kjar has a lot to bring to the program. He is constantly striving to improve his coaching skills in an effort to develop extraordinary players.”
 
Since leaving St. Catherine – where he also served as Assistant Athletic Director and Assistant Tennis Coach – Kjar has served as the Athletic and Physical Education Director and Head Boy's Basketball Coach at Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco, Calif.
 
 In his coaching role at JCHS, Kjar turned around a losing program to win a league championship and earn five post-season berths since 2007. As the athletics director, he managed all aspects of the school's varsity programs and worked to add junior varsity teams, as well as additional participation opportunities for girls.
 
Prior to his time at St. Catherine, Kjar served as the Head Women's Basketball Coach from 1995-1999 at Riverland Community and Technical College in Austin, Minn. In his 1998-99 season at Riverland, Kjar led the program to its best record since 1991. He also produced three all-conference, two all-state, two all-region and two all-American players while at Riverland.
 
Kjar earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

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