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The past two seasons have been one milestone after another for Bokosky and the Panthers. None was more significant than the Chapman men reaching the NCAA Division III tournament in 2010 for the first time in school history and snapping a 26-year postseason absence.
Earlier that same year Bokosky became the first Chapman coach to reach 300 career head coaching victories. He is the school's all-time winningest head coach - a history that spans nearly 90 years. His 319-140 record over 18 seasons, includes back-to-back 24-3 seasons the past two years.
"Bo" has guided Chapman to five straight 20-win seasons and 17 consecutive winning seasons. Bokosky is also in his ninth year serving as an Assistant Athletic Director at Chapman.
Prior to Chapman, Bokosky served as an assistant coach in the Big West at Cal State Fullerton and U.C. Irvine where he recruited and coached future NBA players Scott Brooks, Tom Tolbert, Bruce Bowan, Bob Thornton and Johnny Rogers.
A native of Orange County, Bokosky graduated from Santa Ana Valley High and played at Riverside and Saddleback Community Colleges before transferring to Fort Lewis College in Colorado where he received his bachelor’s degree in history in 1978. Bokosky then earned his master’s degree in education from Cal State Los Angeles in 1983. He and his wife, Neddie, currently reside in Orange with their two daughters, Tara and Karly.
Wheatley returned to Chapman just two years removed from a playing career that included two ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America selections - the third Panther ever to earn the award twice. As a guard/forward for the Panthers, Wheatley was twice named to the Division III All-Independents team. He is also just one of two players in Chapman's Division III history with over 1,000 points (1,044) and 500 rebounds (579).
Ian's Chapman days go back to the early 1990s as a team manager
for a Panthers team that faced Shaquille O'Neal as player for
Louisiana State. He has served on Bokosky's staff for the past nine
seasons and has seen the Panthers win 20 or more games in a season
four times. Prior to that, Ian was an assistant coach at Rialto
High. Ian also serves as the facilities manager with Chapman's
athletics department.
