ELMHURST — After 17 years at the helm of the Elmhurst College men’s basketball team, Mark Scherer has announced his retirement from coaching.

Scherer, who guided Elmhurst to its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship in 2001, is relocating to Eureka, Ill., to be with his family full time.

Scherer joined the Bluejays prior to the start of the 1996-97 season and leaves with a career record of 245-189. He holds Elmhurst coaching records for career victories, career winning percentage (.564) and single-season victories (22).

In 2001, he led the squad to its first-ever CCIW Championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Scherer was named both the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year and the Division III Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA)

In 2009, Scherer was named the Division III Co-Coach of the Year by the IBCA after guiding the Bluejays to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Scherer’s teams produced winning records in 10 of his 17 seasons.