PARK HILLS, Ky. — Covington Catholic High School named Jake Thelen Friday afternoon as its new head basketball coach.
"CovCath is a special place," Thelen said Friday night. "A place that helped shape me into the person and coach I am today. I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity that Principal Mr. Bob Rowe and Athletic Director Tony Bacigalupo have given me. I don't take this responsibility lightly and can't wait to get started."
Thelen, a 2011 CovCath graduate, arrives from the University of Cincinnati where he served as the director of player development/assistant coach for the UC men’s basketball team.
Thelen succeeds former longtime CovCath coach Scott Ruthsatz who stepped down in late May.
"My vision is to continue to build on the unbelievable success and history of this program," Thelen said.
Thelen, a Edgewood, Ky., native, starred at CovCath where he was selected to play in the Kentucky-Indiana and Kentucky-Ohio all-star games. He earned All-American honors at Bellarmine University and gained coaching experience at three top NCAA Division I basketball programs.
Prior to UC, Thelen was the director of basketball operations at the University of Georgia. He was the youngest director of basketball operations at a Power Five school when he arrived in Athens at 25 years old. Thelen’s on-campus coordination helped the Bulldogs land a consensus top-10 class in head coach Tom Crean’s first full recruiting cycle. That group was headlined by Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who was the No. 1 selection in the 2020 NBA Draft.
"My time at UC and Georgia have prepared me extremely well for this opportunity," Thelen said. "I wouldn't be here without being surrounded by amazing people. It's all about the people. Working for someone like (UC head coach) Wes Miller changed my life and is one of the reasons I am in this situation today."
Thelen was an All-American forward at Bellarmine where he finished No. 16 among the school’s career scoring leaders with 1,412 points in three seasons. As a senior, he averaged 18.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.
He completed his CovCath career with a scoring average of 16.6 points per game and is No. 8 on the all-time scoring list with 1,258 points. He holds the CovCath single-game record with 18 field goals.
