Rochester, N.Y.-- Luke Flockerzi who quickly built Skidmore College into one of the top teams in the Liberty League, has been named the new head men's basketball coach at the University of Rochester.

Flockerzi takes over the Rochester program from Michael Neer who announced his retirement effective at the end of the academic year. Neer coached the Yellowjackets for 34 seasons, compiling a record of 563 wins and 326 losses.

“We thank Luke for his many outstanding contributions to the basketball program and the Skidmore community and wish nothing but the best as he begins this next chapter of his life,” said Skidmore director of athletics Gail Cummings-Danson. “We will certainly miss Luke's energy and efforts to build a strong program for Skidmore College and take pride in knowing that under his leadership, our student-athletes shared a positive experience.”

In three seasons in Saratoga Springs, Flockerzi's teams showed dramatic growth. By the 2009-10 season, the Thoroughbreds were 16-10 overall, 9-5 in the Liberty League. The program tied school-records for overall victories and conference wins. Skidmore finished in second place in the Liberty League race in 2009-10. The Thoroughbreds lost to Hobart College in the semifinal round of the league championships. In addition to the success on the court, his team led the league with six All-Academic Team selections.

This is a return to Rochester for Flockerzi. He served as an assistant coach under Neer in the 2006-07 season. Rochester finished 18-8 that year and qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs. He was hired as the head coach at Skidmore College in June, 2007.