Bio

Rick Romeli begins his ninth year at Governors State University serving eight years with the men’s basketball program. He also coached the the varsity reserve squad through the years and Romeli continues as the manager of the sports facility at GSU. This year marks the 19th year Romeli has worked with AD/Head Men's Basketball Coach Tony Bates in collegiate athletics.

In 2023-2024, Coach Romeli will also be back at his high school alma mater serving as Head Boys Basketball Coach at Marian Catholic HS in Chicago. 

In the 2021-2022 GSU season, Romeli helped the Jaguars finish fifth in conference scoring, averaging 75.1 points over 22 contests. GSU made the fourth-most three-pointers (195) in CCAC games as well.

In 2020-21 Romeli assisted a Jaguar squad that led the CCAC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 64.8 points over 11 conference games. Romeli also helped develop All-CCAC selections in DeAndrey Robinson II (second team) and Lamar Crenshaw (honorable mention).

During the 2019-20 season Romeli worked with a GSU squad that averaged 84.6 points per game and scored 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time in team history. GSU also recorded a winning season and qualified for the postseason for the third-straight season.

In 2018-19, Romeli helped the Jaguars to a third-place finish in the CCAC standings and a second-straight appearance in the CCAC Tournament Championship Game. He also instructed a pair of All-CCAC selections in Shane Maple (first team) and Robbie Brooks (second team).

The 2017-18 season saw Romeli help guide GSU to the "CCAC Double" as the Jaguars won the conference regular season and tournament championships. Under Romeli's tutelage, GSU guards made 265 three-pointers while GSU finished with the second-best three-point field goal percentage (.389) among CCAC teams. Romeli also coached All-CCAC selections in Shane Maple (second team) and Robbie Brooks (honorable mention). 

In 2016-17 Romeli helped GSU to eight victories during its debut season in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Jaguars finished ahead of two teams in the CCAC South Division standings and recorded an 18-point win over fifth-ranked St. Francis. Romeli also worked with two of the top four scorers in the CCAC in Torrey Oliver and Jalen Miller.

During GSU’s inaugural varsity season in 2015-16, Romeli helped the Jaguars record eight wins, including an upset of 23^rd-ranked Bellevue. He also worked with the club team in 2014-15.

Romeli previously served nine seasons (2005-14) as an assistant coach at Saint Xavier University, his alma mater. During that time, SXU teams amassed a 211-139 record, clinched a pair of CCAC Tournament championships and qualified for five NAIA National Tournaments. While at SXU, Romeli worked alongside Tony Bates, who was also a member of the Cougars coaching staff.

A native of Lansing, Illinois, Romeli was a two-sport standout at Saint Xavier, playing four seasons of basketball and two years of baseball. He earned All-CCAC First Team honors as a senior captain in 2004-05, leading the Cougars to the NAIA Quarterfinals.

A member of the SXU Athletics Hall of Fame, Romeli still ranks among the school’s top 25 career leaders in eight statistical categories.

Romeli earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting (2006) and a master’s of business administration (MBA) with a concentration on financial fraud (2011) from Saint Xavier University.

Rick and his wife Veronica have a son, Ricky and daughter, Arielle, and reside in Palos Heights.