BYU basketball coach Dave Rose is retiring after 14 years of career. His program has stabilized in recent seasons, but he is stepping down as the school's outstanding coach.

Provo • Dave Rose announced Tuesday that he was retiring after a 14-year career in which he became BYU's most successful men's basketball coach, but he also saw his program level achieve the same status these past seasons.

Rose, 61, has met several times last week BYU Sports Director, Tom Holmoe, as well as other BYU trustees to discuss the redemption of the remaining two years to his contract, though. he said during his afternoon press conference that the decision to leave was finally his.

"It's my soul as a coach who put me here today, and my soul coach said it was time – it was time to do it, "said Rose. "My heart told me it was time to leave, and Cheryl [wife] was nice, that's why we do it now. "

He added, "I feel like the luckiest guy of all time. … I will not leave here with any regret. But I'll leave here wishing we did more "to get to the Final Four."

Rose compiled a record 348 wins (pending the school's call for an NCAA infraction last November) and 135 losses for a winning percentage of 0.720, the best in BYU history. This was the seventh best winning percentage among the NCAA Division I head coaches active at the start of the season.

"We had a lot of wins and I hope everyone had a good time," said Rose, who finished second on the school's all-time wins list, just behind the 371 victories of the legendary Stan Watts.

Rose guided BYU to eight appearances at the NCAA Tournament and five appearances in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). However, the last appearance in the NCAA Cougars Tournament took place four years ago. She was lost to Ole Miss in the first game in Dayton, Ohio, and did not play in the playoffs this spring for the first time in her term.

The Cougars beat rivals Utah, Utah State and Utah Valley last season, but were upset by Weber State. They lost a 14-point lead over San Francisco, which cost them a No. 2 seed and a double in the WCC tournament. -13. Their season ended in the quarterfinals of the WCC tournament by an embarrassing defeat against San Diego (80-57), a team that they swept off in the regular season. BYU racked up 44 points at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and frustration was evident on the bench in the second half and at the post-game press conference.

This is Rose's first season as the Cougars have not won 20 games or more.

On March 17, after BYU had not received a bid to participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Holmoe issued a statement announcing that the Cougars' season was over.

"The main goal of BYU basketball programs is to qualify for the NCAA tournament, or as a secondary option the NIT," said Holmoe. "With this in mind, we have determined that our men's basketball team will not participate in other playoff events this year."

Despite what many have seen the program stabilize, Rose signed a one – year contract extension last November, a day before the Cougars opened the season in Nevada 's top 10. The agreement was to allow him to go through the 2020-21 season.

"It's a privilege to be the BYU head coach," Rose said in a press release issued on November 6. "I am proud of everything we have accomplished and I am excited for the future."

Two days later, the NCAA announced that BYU (and Rose) should cancel 47 wins in the two seasons in which star guard Nick Emery played because struggling product Lone Peak High had accepted unacceptable benefits from share of four BYU boosters. BYU is appealing the decision, and Holmoe said in January that the school is still waiting for this decision. The Emery affair was an isolated incident, the school said.

Rose, who has successfully fought cancerous tumors on her pancreas twice since 2009, turned 61 in December and continues Stan Watts, who was 371-254 (.594), for the most wins in the world. training of his story.

When asked if he was planning to retire, Rose said at the WCC press conference last October that he was not and could not be done anything else.

"When one reaches the age of 60, I think we can all admit that I've probably resulted in more games in my life than I will," Rose said. "Then I think about it. But the truth is that I do not want to think about it and I do not really want to talk about it further. … So, I'd be lying if "I said I did not think about it, but when I start thinking about it, I hope it never happens. That's what I feel right now.

Rose said that day that "everything is fine" with her health and that the cancer scans that he got in April and September were clear.

What does the future hold for the now-retired BYU coach?

"I do not really know what I'm going to do tomorrow," he said, "but I promise you, it's better than what I'm doing today."

This story will be updated.