LAKE CHARLES – A new era, yet same championship standards, officially launched on Wednesday when Bill Armstrong was introduced to Poke Nation as the head coach of McNeese Cowboys basketball.
 
A proven winner at every stop prior to arriving in Lake Charles, Armstrong will take over a program that has won back-to-back Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships, back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and first-ever March Madness win under Will Wade, who accepted the same position at North Carolina State on Tuesday.
 
"I don't think there's a more exciting place to be in the country for a new head coach for the fact that I'm able to take over for a team that won a first-time ever NCAA Tournament game and being able to build off two-consecutive regular season championships, two-consecutive tournament championships," said Armstrong who becomes the 13^th head coach in school history.
 
"I don't think there is a better situation (than at McNeese). With what (Director of Athletics) Heath (Schroyer) and (former head coach) Will (Wade) and (McNeese President) Dr. (Wade) Rousse, and everybody involved and the community of Lake Charles has built here and the excitement around this program and the success that it's had over the last two years."
 
Armstrong comes to McNeese after spending this past season at Baylor where he helped the Bears to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He'll now look to get McNeese back to the postseason for the third straight time, something that's only been done three times prior by a Southland team and not since Stephen F. Austin from 2014-16.
 
"Going 40-2 against Southland teams. Not losing a game at home in the Southland and to have that home court advantage. Then being able to take that into the conference tournament and play in our own building to go to the NCAA Tournament, I don't think there's a better situation in the country," said Armstrong.
 
Armstrong mentioned he was well versed on McNeese by Wade.
 
"Pretty in-depth," he said when asked about how much of a scouting report he had on McNeese. "Will and I are like brothers. We talk every day. Have for about the last eight years. He told me with how grateful he is for Heath in taking that chance on him. I knew he was going to win right away. And I knew this was going to happen. And I knew that I would have an opportunity to be able to follow in his footsteps once he moved on. So we talked about it a lot."
 
McNeese is not foreign to Armstrong. He was in attendance last season when the Cowboys won the conference tournament championship and has been an avid follower the last two seasons.
 
Now it's his team to build on the success set by his great friend and predecessor and even though he didn't promise a set number of wins, he did tell the fans in attendance they can be assured the Cowboys will make history by reaching their third then fourth-straight NCAA Tournaments.
 
Armstrong will work fast over the next few days to build a staff, retain players from the current roster and hit the portal to bring in the new batch of Cowboys that will continue the winning ways.