June 4, 2008

Los Angeles, CA (June 4) -- Loyola Marymount men's basketball Head Coach Bill Bayno added to his staff on Wednesday, announcing that Michael Scholl has been named assistant coach. He is the second assistant hired by Bayno and Scholl, who holds a law degree from Maryland, comes to LMU with impressive experience, not just limited to basketball and in the United States.

Scholl has been busy since finishing with his Juris Doctor Degree at Maryland in 1994, reaching youth all over the world through basketball. He has worked with basketball programs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, at the junior college level in northern California, with the South Africa National and Under-20 teams, the Senegal Men's National Team, with a professional team in South Africa and as a scout for the Detroit Pistons.

"Mike brings a wealth of experience both as a basketball coach and as a humanitarian," said Bayno. "As a national team coach, a professional team coach and as an NBA scout, he brings so many facets to our staff. From experience as a head coach, as an assistant coach, as a scout and as a foundation leader, his experience will be invaluable here at LMU."

Scholl has spent the last eight years as the Director of Sports and International Programs for Miles and Associates International in Johannesburg, South Africa. He managed the creation and implementation of the largest HIV and AIDS prevention campaigns in the world called "Love Life," funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Kaiser Foundation. The campaign has reached hundred of thousands and was voted the most creative and innovative prevention program in the world by the United Nations.

He also established the first national high school basketball league in South Africa with 1,800 boys and 1,800 girls teams that included more than 42,000 participants. He also supervised the construction and development of 500 basketball courts throughout Africa, developed a high school basketball league and motivational program called "Success by Choice" and managed the implementation of the program in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya.

"I met Mike about four years ago in Africa and was blown away by his presence both as a basketball coach and as a human being," said Bayno. "What he has done in Africa through his AIDS prevention campaign and the creation of basketball opportunities for kids in Africa is just impressive."

In addition to his full-time efforts with Miles and Associates International, Scholl was an international scout for the Detroit Pistons since 2007, a basketball analyst for the SuperSport Television Network since 2004 and has been a coach with the NBA Basketball Without Borders Africa Camp since 2003.

His coaching experience has also included his role as the assistant coach and advanced scout for the Senegal Men's National Team (2007), the general manager and coaching advisor for the Soweto Panthers of the Premier Basketball League in South Africa (2006-07), an assistant (2001-04) and then associate head coach (2004-07) for the South Africa Men's National Team, head coach for the South Africa Under-20 Team (2003-06), and head coach of the ESPN Club Team (2002-07) in South Africa.

He began his coaching career in 1994 as a camp director at Island Hoops in the U.S. Virgin Islands, conducting camps with NBA players throughout the Caribbean. He was with Island Hoops until 1996 and after three years working in law, he returned as an assistant coach for one season at Contra Costa Junior College in 1999-00.

Scholl, a graduate of Jesuit High School in Sacramento, went and played a Sacramento State for two seasons before finishing his career at Ohio Wesleyan University and earning a double major in Sociology and History in 1991.

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