What was once an opening for the Huskies is now a void for the Billikens.

Saint Louis University men’s head basketball coach Lorenzo Romar resigned yesterday in order to take the head coaching job at the University of Washington.

Romar will be formally introduced as the Huskies’ coach today at Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, according to a release from the University of Washington.

In an emotion-filled conference with juniors Chris Braun and Drew Diener and sophomore Chris Sloan looking on, Romar said goodbye to SLU.

“This was a tough decision for me and my family,” Romar said. “I honestly didn’t know that I was going to the University of Washington until the middle of the afternoon today. I was torn between doing what was best for my family and finishing out what we started here. I wanted to see Marque (Perry) lead them to the (NCAA) Tournament. That’s what I was torn about.

“One of my fears is that I thought we were this close to doing something special,” Romar added. “I thought we found our niche and I would hate to see that broken up.”

Romar dispelled any rumors that SLU’s administration played a role in his departure.

“Father Biondi and Doug Woolard did everything to make it attractive for me to stay. I respect Father Biondi. He was very supportive during four game losing streaks and 12 point halves,” Romar said.

The Huskies couldn’t be happier about the hiring.

“We are excited to have Lorenzo come back to the University of Washington and direct our basketball program,” said Washington athletic director Barbara Hedges in a release. “Lorenzo is very highly regarded in the coaching profession and I think we are extremely lucky to have him back as a Husky.”

After earning his associate degree from Cerritos Community College, Romar attended Washington and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1980. As a senior at Washington, Romar averaged 9.3 points per game and 3.5 assists per game.

He was named team captain as Washington earned an NIT berth. He was voted the Huskies’ Most Inspirational Player by his teammates.

Romar then played for the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks for four seasons in the NBA. He averaged 6.1 points per game. His NBA career ended when he joined Athletes in Action in 1985. His best season with AIA was in 1991-92, when Romar averaged 24.4 points per game, 5.1 assists per game and 1.8 steals.

Romar then moved on to his first Division I coaching job.

He was the top assistant coach under head coach Jim Harrick at UCLA from 1992-96. Romar recruited much of the talent that was on the 1994-95 National Championship team, including Toby Bailey, Cameron Dollar and Charles O’Bannon.

Romar’s first head-coaching job soon followed. Pepperdine hired him in February 1996. In his second season, the Green Wave recorded an 11-game improvement over the previous season’s record and finished 17-10.

Romar experienced some of the same emotions when he left Pepperdine to coach at SLU.

“At Pepperdine, the school wasn’t as large as here and the head coach had fewer commitments,” Romar said. “But Pepperdine was difficult. When kids trust you and parents entrust their kids to you, it’s hard to bail out on them. Here, it was that, the university, the people-you are all awesome.”

After his third season at the helm in Mailbu, Calif., the Billikens came calling.

In Romar’s first season with SLU, the Billikens finished 19-14 and won the Conference USA Tournament as the No. 9 seed. SLU played Utah in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and lost 48-45. The Billikens finished Romar’s second season 17-14 overall and 8-8 in C-USA games.

Romar and the Billikens grew accustomed to playing the role of David throughout this past season. SLU lost to the University of Missouri on a buzzer-beater.

And without leading scorer and point guard Marque Perry, the Billikens nearly topped No. 2 Cincinnati before losing by four points.

The Billikens also suffered through injuries and tough loses to unexpected teams. Romar leaves SLU with a 51-44 record with the Billikens and a 93-88 record overall.

But Romar is excited about the future of the program.

“This team has the chance to be really great next year,” Romar said. “I love those guys. I love them like they were my sons.”

But in the end, Romar answered the call that his alma mater put out.

“After a lot of prayer and talking with my wife, I decided that this is something I need to do,” Romar said.

There were questions about his status and those who turned down Washington. First, University of Missouri coach Quin Snyder decided to stay in Columbia, Mo. Then Gonzaga coach Mark Few followed suit. But Romar didn’t care where he fit in the big picture. That doesn’t dictate success.

“Jim Harrick was the fourth choice at UCLA and he was the second-best coach,” Romar said. “I’m not conceding that I was the fourth choice. I did get the feeling that I was definitely wanted there.”

SLU will greatly miss Romar’s presence, both on and off the court.

“I hate to see Lorenzo leave,” said Director of Athletics Doug Woolard. “But on the bright side, we have a good team coming back and he’s created a strong place for us in the future.”

Woolard said that a national search will begin immediately. He promised to work quickly but thoroughly to find the best candidate to replace Romar.

Romar did leave the Billikens with one last lesson.

“I’ll tell them to not let up and to continue to do the things that we’ve talked about,” Romar said. “These are things that they just won’t do here. They’re part of life, succeeding in life.”