New USA Men's Coach: Christian Latullipe

USA Team Handball has posted the following update on their Facebook Page:

Staff Selection Committee Announces Choices

General Manager Dave Gascon today announced the long awaited selections of staff for the upcoming USATH Men’s National Team (MNT) as they will venture to Argentina for the Pan American Championships, which is also a qualifier for the 2013 World Championships in Spain.

“I am pleased to announce that our selection committee of Olympians Rod Oshita, Bob Djokovich, and Michael Lenard has selected Christian Latulippe as Head Coach, Michael Tilton as Assistant Coach, and Mariusz Wartalowicz as Team Leader for this event. I know the committee spent considerable time and effort evaluating all the candidates in order to provide us with the best possible selections. I am very impressed with the professional and thoughtful process with which they approached their responsibilities. USA Team Handball is grateful to them for their time and commitment to our Men’s National Team Program.”

The Pan Am Championships are scheduled for June 18-24, and although the timeline is not yet finalized, Gascon addressed the possible schedule. “Our tentative goal is to depart for Argentina June 10th and to try to get in a solid week of training before the tournament begins. The athlete selection process is being finalized and we hope to have a team selected around the 23rd of May.

We are hopeful that our newly appointed staff and the athletes will bond quickly and that the team will jell within the week. It will be quite intense,” said an optimistic Gascon. I expect our MNT Selection Committee will pick a great team to represent the United States for this important competition.”

Gascon has indicated he will ask for the assistance of 2011 Pan Am Games Head Coach Darrick Heath and Assistant Coach Wade Sutton, as well as former Pan Am Games MNT player Daniel Kimmich, to serve in some capacity on the selection committee. Latulippe, Tilton, and Wartalowicz will round out the panel.

This will be Latullipe’s second go round as a USA National Team Coach.  From 2004-2007, he was the coach of the USA Women’s Team and was instrumental in the setup and organization of the residency program in Cortland, NY.  In March of 2007, Latulippe, was abruptly replaced (fired, resigned, reassigned- take your pick) as coach shortly before key qualification matches for the 2007 PANAM Games.  Latullipe, a Quebecois Canadian, has been coaching club handball in France where he was recently the head coach of 2nd Division Women’s side, La Motte Servolex.   He also was the assistant coach for the Canadian Men at the 2011 PANAM Games.

The assistant coach, Mike Tilton, is the current West Point Men’s coach.

THN (13 Mar 2007): USA Women’s National Team Coach Resigns: http://teamhandballnews.com/2007/03/usa-women%E2%80%99s-national-team-coach-resigns/
THN (19 Mar 2007): USOC Statement on Latulippe Resignation: http://teamhandballnews.com/2007/03/usoc-statement-on-latulippe-resignation/
THN (22 Mar 2007): An Act of Desperation or Decisive Action?:  http://teamhandballnews.com/2007/03/an-act-of-desperation-or-decisive-action/
THN (18 Jun 2007):  USA Women:  What happened and what’s next?: http://teamhandballnews.com/2007/06/usa-women-what-happened-and-what%E2%80%99s-next/
Handzone (19 Feb 2012): La Motte-Servolex without Christian Latulippe: http://www.handzone.net/asp.net/main.news/news.aspx?id=56593
West Point Team Handball Website (Coaches): http://wpteamhandball.wetpaint.com/page/Coaches