April 20, 2005 For immediate release Contact: Bob Lowe (336) 272-7102, x279

Rusty LaRue has resigned as head men’s basketball coach at Greensboro College. LaRue will become head coach and assistant football coach at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, N.C.

LaRue coached The Pride to a 10-15 record in his one year leading GC. Greensboro went 6-6 in USA South games last year and tied for third in the conference.

"I am very thankful for the opportunity Greensboro College gave me this past season,” LaRue said. “I learned a tremendous amount about myself, and the experience I gained was invaluable. GC has some great people, and I enjoyed working with them and developing lifelong friendships.” 

A former National Basketball Association player, LaRue has strong ties to the Piedmont Triad. The Kernersville resident prepped at Northwest Guilford High School before becoming a three-sport star at Wake Forest University. LaRue also founded the Rusty LaRue Basketball Academy that serves offers 600 area kids and established the Triad Titans AAU youth team.

"The situation I have been presented with at Forsyth Country Day School is a great fit for my family and me,” LaRue said. “The chance to build a year-round basketball program at FCDS through the Rusty LaRue Basketball Academy is something about which I have dreamed for a long time. The school’s facilities, administration, and faculty are second to none and things will only get better with the addition of a new field house and a third gymnasium. I look forward to becoming a part of FCDS’s proven basketball tradition and up-and-coming football program, and I am excited about the school’s overall academic and athletic vision." 

"Rusty is a quality person and a great role model, and we're sad to lose him as much from that perspective as we are as head basketball coach," said Greensboro College Athletic Director Kim Strable. "His academy work and all the advantages he will have at Forsyth Country Day make this a logical move for Rusty and his family."

LaRue played in 43 games with the 1998 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls. He averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists in 17.0 minutes of play. Following the Bulls, LaRue played a stint with CSKA Russia and NBA Utah Jazz. 

A graduate of Wake Forest University, LaRue was the first athlete in school history--and second in the ACC--to play three sports (football, basketball and baseball) in the same year (1994-95). As a quarterback, he broke eight NCAA passing and total offense records. As a senior on the basketball court, LaRue averaged 10.1 points in 30.6 minutes of play. He led the Demon Deacons to back-to-back ACC Championships and was named to the Academic All-American Third Team in basketball. In baseball, he earned a save in three innings of relief pitching.

"Rusty's real passion is teaching young people and this platform at FCDS will give him an opportunity to impact the lives of a lot of kids of all ages," Strable said. "I'm happy for him and wish him well as he transitions to that environment."

LaRue founded the Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the physically disabled in Winston-Salem. He has three young sons and and an infant daughter with his wife, Tammy.

LaRue replaced David Bowman, who posted a 76-45 record over the past four years, at FCDS. Bowman will remain at the school in an administrative role.

No decisions have been made concerning the selection of a new men's basketball coach at Greensboro College.