APSU Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dave Loos has not had a winning season since 2010-11. That year, the team went 19-15 overall and 13-5 in the conference.

The team made the Ohio Valley Conference tournament but lost in the semifinals to Morehead State 68-49.

In the past five seasons Loos has amassed a 52-100 record and has seen several coaching changes.

It has not been said if Loos will return for the 2016-17 season.

Loos has shown great loyalty and clear coaching skill during his 26 successful years. There is no doubt he’ll go down in APSU basketball history as well as possible OVC history, but APSU athletics are taking a step forward and it could be time for Loos to retire.

Last season, former APSU and NBA player Bubba Wells and former APSU basketball player Corey Gipson were on the sidelines as assistant coaches.

Wells, an APSU Hall of Famer, was the first APSU player to reach 2,000 points and is ranked fifth in OVC history for most points scored.

Gipson helped lead the Govs to back-to-back OVC championships in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

Wells left APSU in 2015 to become the assistant coach at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, another OVC school.

Gipson, the other assistant coach, left APSU the same year as Wells for another assistant coaching job at Missouri State University.

Why did two of APSU’s best players both leave at the same time?

Jay Bowen, a former APSU men’s assistant coach, and Julian Terrell, a former Vanderbilt basketball player, replaced them.

Bowen has success under his belt from numerous schools and states, while Terrell has most of his success on the court as a player at Vanderbilt University.

Although Loos is the most successful men’s basketball coach in OVC history, he has not been to the OVC tournament since 2012.

The most recent successful basketball season APSU has seen was 2008, well before any current student was cheering in sections A-D in the Dunn Center.

From 1995 to 2007, APSU won the OVC regular season five times, the OVC tournament three times and went to the NCAA tournament twice.

All of these successes were back-to-backs; they were in 1995-96, 1996-97, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2007-08. In the 1995-97 seasons, Wells played for APSU while in the 2002-04 seasons, Gipson was a part of the team.

In the past two years, APSU has hired new football, baseball, women’s basketball and softball coaches along with a new athletic director.

After APSU hired current Athletic Director Ryan Ivey, he made it his duty to raise the bar for APSU Athletics’ teams.

“We will compete and achieve OVC and NCAA post-season championships,” Ivey said. “We are going to be purposeful about winning. Success can and will be achieved at APSU as demonstrated by being in this room. There is a rich history and tradition at this institution and we’re going to continue to build it.”

Meanwhile, APSU women’s basketball is one win away from making the OVC tournament for the second year in a row.

On National Signing Day, new Head Football Coach Will Healy signed 26 newcomers for the top recruiting class in the OVC.

Healy is also in the top 10 for Football Championship Subdivision after former Head Football Coach Kirby Cannon’s contract was bought out following a 1-34 in his three seasons at APSU.

Since 2005, APSU baseball has won the regular season championship three times, the OVC tournament four times and made three consecutive NCAA tournaments.

However, Dave Loos is finishing his 5th consecutive losing season and his 26th year coaching at APSU.

At the end of the 2014-15 season, Loos was given an opportunity to extend his contract to be APSU’s head coach for a 26th year, despite not having a winning season since 2010-11.

APSU is currently 12-17 overall and 5-9 in the conference. APSU has two games left this season, one visiting Wells at SIUE, who is 3-12 in the conference, and one left at home facing Southeast Missouri, who is 2-13 in the conference.

The only way the Govs can make the OVC tournament is if they finish a game ahead of Eastern Kentucky. EKU is 5-9 in the conference and has two games left as well. They will be facing Jacksonville State, who is 4-10 in the conference, and Tennessee Tech, who is 10-4 in the conference.

Therefore, APSU can only make the OVC tournament if they win at least one of their games and EKU loses both of their games.

Loos has seen much success during his years, but, it’s time to step aside and let someone else take the reigns.