Peoria Notre Dame is looking for a new boys basketball head coach.
Tom Lacher confirmed on Friday, July 17 that he has stepped down from his post after 15 seasons. In Lacher’s decade-and-a-half tenure, he went 241-195 (.553) with five regional titles, two Class 3A Sweet Sixteens and a Class 3A Elite Eight appearance.
Lacher had coached the Irish through all their summer contact days.
“It was a blessing,” Lacher told the Journal Star of his time at PND. “I got to coach a lot of great young men, had a lot of success in wins, but most of all just making connections and watching young men grow and successful adults. That’s what you’re really into for.
“You fight battles along the way, you win some, you lose some. The biggest thing is you’re in it for the right reasons and do it for the young men in the program. I felt like I did that.”
Several current and former players as well as their parents have reached out to Lacher, expressing gratitude for his mentorship throughout their prep playing days.
“It’s been very humbling to hear the effect that you’ve had on people,” he said. “Nothing lasts forever. I’m not embarrassed about anything. I loved my time as Notre Dame’s coach. I loved the kids I got to coach and that’s the biggest thing.”
After serving as an assistant for three seasons under Eddie Mathews, Lacher took over the PND program prior to the 2011-12 season. This came after Lacher was the Elmwood head coach for a trio of campaigns (2004-2007) and spent a season (2007-08) on the East Peoria bench.
In just his third season, Lacher took PND to the 2014 Elite Eight followed by Class 3A regional titles in 2015, 2019 and 2020 along with a 2024 Class 2A regional championship. He posted seven winning seasons and four times (2014, 2019, 2020, 2022) won 20 or more games.
The 2020 squad, which was 30-1 and ranked No. 1, was set to play Manual in the Peoria Sectional title game when the pandemic hit. This ended a shot at the Irish capturing the program’s first state trophy since a 1980 Class A state runner-up finish by Peoria Bergan.
He was named the 2020 Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Tri-County Boys Coach of the Year, while also garnering Illinois Basketball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year honors three times.
This, however, won’t be the end of Lacher’s coaching career.
“I have some opportunities that I’m pretty excited about,” he said.
PND went 8-19 during the 2025-26 season, going 1-9 in Big 12 Conference play. Seven of the Irish’s losses were by double digits, while ending their season in a Class 2A regional opener. Incoming senior Patrick Graham was the lone all-Big 12 selection, earning honorable mention honors.
“Regarding the future, we are opening up the position and looking for a head coach of the program,” PND athletics director Dave Rudolph said in a text message to the Journal Star.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: ‘It was a blessing’: Longtime Peoria Notre Dame basketball coach steps down
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
