Minneapolis — The Minnesota Timberwolves have hired San Francisco 49ers executive Ethan Casson, a 1996 graduate of Colby-Sawyer College and a former member of the Chargers’ men’s basketball team, to be the team’s new chief executive officer.

The team announced the hiring on Monday. Casson will replace Rob Moor, who stepped down from his post and will start on Aug. 8.

Casson spent the previous six seasons with the 49ers. He was the chief operating officer for the past two seasons.

It’s a bit of a homecoming for Casson. He worked for the Timberwolves for 11 years before leaving for the 49ers. While in Minnesota he rose to the senior vice president of corporate partnerships and game presentation.

A member of Colby-Sawyer head coach Bill Foti’s first recruiting class, Casson was instrumental in propelling the Chargers to notoriety during the program’s third varsity season. Casson helped the Chargers to a 70-31 record in his four years as the floor general while collecting a school-record 454 assists, a mark that stood for 16 years. When he wasn’t on offense, Ethan was getting the ball away from the opponent, leading to 152 steals, which ranks 10th all-time.

His efforts were recognized with the Eastern College Athletic Conference Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award in 1996. Ethan was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Colby-Sawyer Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Moor has left the team to work more directly with owner Glen Taylor’s business holdings.