South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
Encyclopedia
The South Alabama Jaguars basketball program has competed in the Sun Belt Conference
since 1978 when the league was formed. In their 42 year history, the Jaguars have compiled an overall record of 694-507 (.580). Ronnie Arrow
returned as head coach in 2007, succeeding John Pelphrey
after the 2006-07 season
. In his three seasons succeeding Pelphrey, Coach Arrow is 63-34 (64.9%), and is 177-127 (58.2%)all time at South Alabama.
The University of South Alabama
is a public
, doctoral-level university
in Mobile, Alabama
, United States. The school was founded in 1963 and began its men's basketball program in the fall of 1968 under former Auburn
standout and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
member Rex Frederick
.
The Jags have participated in the NCAA Tournament
eight times with a record of 1-8. Their last tournament appearance was in 2008 when they lost to seventh seeded, Butler University
81-61 in the NCAA Birmingham Regional First Round.
The Jaguars have been invited to play in the NIT Tournament
four times and have a record of 3-4 in the NIT.
was head coach at the University of South Alabama
from 1975 to 1984. He was the all-time winning coach in South Alabama history with a 171-84 (.671) record during nine seasons until Coach Ronnie Arrow surpassed him in 2010. When Ellis became head coach, the administrators at South Alabama were thinking of dropping to Division II. Four years later, he had the Jaguars in the NCAA Tournament
and six seasons later, they were ranked in the nation's top 10. Ellis, also was the athletic director
during part of his tenure, led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt
titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and two NITs
.
Former NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves
coach, Bill Musselman
returned to the NCAA after a 25-year absence and led the Jaguars to back-to-back NCAA tournament bids in his two years as coach. Musselman's 1997 South Alabama team went 23-7 and nearly upset eventual champion University of Arizona
in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Bob Weltlich was named interim coach at South Alabama
in 1997 following Musselman's sudden resignation. Weltlich coached the Jags from 1997 to 2002 and compiled a record of 81-65 (.559) and three 20-win seasons.
John Pelphrey
spent five seasons as head coach at South Alabama. In 2005-06 the Jaguars defeated Western Kentucky University
in the Sun Belt Conference
tournament championship game, earning USA's first NCAA tournament bid since 1998. The Jaguars lost to the tournament champions, Florida
in the round of 64. In 2007, Pelphrey led the Jags to an NIT
birth which resulted in a first-round loss to Syracuse (79-73). South Alabama finished the year with a 20-12 record, giving Pelphrey an overall record of 80-67 with the Jags and an offer to coach for the University of Arkansas
in the SEC
.
In his first eight seasons as the Jaguars coach, Ronnie Arrow
compiled a record of 114-93 (.551) and was named Sun Belt
Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991. His squads led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring four of his seven seasons at South Alabama. His 1988-89 squad set a school and league record 91 points per game average and five of his seven teams tallied at least 80 points per game. Since his return in 2007, Ronnie Arrow has compiled a 63-34 (64.9%) record and became the all-time winningest coach in South Alabama history with a 177-127 record (11 seasons). He also garnered an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the first for Sun Belt Conference is many years.
The Mitchell Center 10,041-seat multi-purpose arena
was built in 1998. It is home to the University of South Alabama
Jaguars men's and women's basketball
teams. The 2001 and 2008 Sun Belt Conference
men's basketball tournaments were held at the Mitchell Center.
Prior to moving into the Mitchell Center, the Jaguars had played their home games from 1968-1999 at the Jag Gym.
as the University's official mascot and during the late 1960s, USA housed a live Jaguar on the campus. However, the University later decided against housing a live animal on campus after Mischka, the jaguar, was accidentally set free on the campus after someone made the mistake of leaving her pen door unlocked.
In the 1971 Retrospect (Yearbook) a person is seen wearing a jaguar costume with a paper mache head covered with spotted fur. By 1972, the costume had changed to a look that showed the persons face and included a fur hat and body. In the late 1970s a mascot-naming contest was held and the name South Paw was chosen. In 1986 USA began its first structured mascot program, building the image of South Paw that exists today. A new costume with an enlarged soft head with comical expression have now replaced the old paper mache head.
Miss Pawla joined South Paw in 1992. Today, the duo of South Paw and Miss Pawla represent the Jaguars at USA athletic competitions and other events throughout the Mobile
community.
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
since 1978 when the league was formed. In their 42 year history, the Jaguars have compiled an overall record of 694-507 (.580). Ronnie Arrow
Ronnie Arrow
Ronnie Lee Arrow is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach at the University of South Alabama.-Playing career:...
returned as head coach in 2007, succeeding John Pelphrey
John Pelphrey
John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he...
after the 2006-07 season
2006-07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2006, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 2, 2007 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
. In his three seasons succeeding Pelphrey, Coach Arrow is 63-34 (64.9%), and is 177-127 (58.2%)all time at South Alabama.
History
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
is a public
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
, doctoral-level university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, United States. The school was founded in 1963 and began its men's basketball program in the fall of 1968 under former Auburn
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
standout and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame is a state museum located in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to communicating the state’s athletic history...
member Rex Frederick
Rex Frederick
Rex Frederick is a retired American collegiate basketball player and coach. He was a star athlete in high school and led Corner High School in Jefferson County to the Alabama state championship...
.
| USA Basketball Coaching History | ||||||
| Tenure | Coach | Yrs | Won | Lost | Pct. | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-1970 | Frederick Rex Frederick Rex Frederick is a retired American collegiate basketball player and coach. He was a star athlete in high school and led Corner High School in Jefferson County to the Alabama state championship... |
2 | 19 | 29 | .396 | - |
| 1970-1975 | Taylor Jimmy Taylor (basketball) Jimmy Taylor was a college basketball coach. From 1970 to 1975, he served as the head coach at South Alabama, where he compiled a 75-53 record.-External links:*... |
5 | 75 | 53 | .586 | - |
| 1975-1984 | Ellis Cliff Ellis Cliff Ellis is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University. Going into the 2011–2012 season, Coach Ellis's 614 victories rank him 50th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in Division 1 basketball... |
9 | 171 | 84 | .671 | - |
| 1984-1987 | Hanks Mike Hanks Mike Hanks is an American college basketball coach. He was head coach for Saint Leo University, Manchester Giants, University of South Alabama and Samford University. He also served as an assistant under Bob Knight at Indiana.-Indiana University:... |
3 | 45 | 43 | .511 | - |
| 1987-1994 | Arrow Ronnie Arrow Ronnie Lee Arrow is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach at the University of South Alabama.-Playing career:... |
8 | 114 | 93 | .551 | - |
| 1994-1995 | Prada Judas Prada Judas T. Prada was a college basketball coach. From 1994 to 1995, he served as the head basketball coach at South Alabama, where he compiled a 8-15 record. Judas had also been an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara for two years.-External links:*... |
1 | 8 | 15 | .348 | - |
| 1995-1997 | Musselman Bill Musselman William Clifford Musselman was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."-Early life:Musselman was the second of five children.... |
2 | 35 | 24 | .614 | - |
| 1997-2002 | Weltlich | 5 | 81 | 65 | .559 | - |
| 2002-2007 | Pelphrey John Pelphrey John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he... |
5 | 80 | 67 | .544 | 44-40 |
| 2007-present | Arrow Ronnie Arrow Ronnie Lee Arrow is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach at the University of South Alabama.-Playing career:... |
3 | 63 | 34 | .649 | 34-20 |
| Totals | 42 | 691 | 507 | .580 | - | |
The Jags have participated in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
eight times with a record of 1-8. Their last tournament appearance was in 2008 when they lost to seventh seeded, Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
81-61 in the NCAA Birmingham Regional First Round.
The Jaguars have been invited to play in the NIT Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
four times and have a record of 3-4 in the NIT.
Coaches
Cliff EllisCliff Ellis
Cliff Ellis is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Coastal Carolina University. Going into the 2011–2012 season, Coach Ellis's 614 victories rank him 50th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in Division 1 basketball...
was head coach at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
from 1975 to 1984. He was the all-time winning coach in South Alabama history with a 171-84 (.671) record during nine seasons until Coach Ronnie Arrow surpassed him in 2010. When Ellis became head coach, the administrators at South Alabama were thinking of dropping to Division II. Four years later, he had the Jaguars in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and six seasons later, they were ranked in the nation's top 10. Ellis, also was the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
during part of his tenure, led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and two NITs
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
Former NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
coach, Bill Musselman
Bill Musselman
William Clifford Musselman was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."-Early life:Musselman was the second of five children....
returned to the NCAA after a 25-year absence and led the Jaguars to back-to-back NCAA tournament bids in his two years as coach. Musselman's 1997 South Alabama team went 23-7 and nearly upset eventual champion University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Bob Weltlich was named interim coach at South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
in 1997 following Musselman's sudden resignation. Weltlich coached the Jags from 1997 to 2002 and compiled a record of 81-65 (.559) and three 20-win seasons.
John Pelphrey
John Pelphrey
John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he...
spent five seasons as head coach at South Alabama. In 2005-06 the Jaguars defeated Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
in the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
tournament championship game, earning USA's first NCAA tournament bid since 1998. The Jaguars lost to the tournament champions, Florida
Florida Gators basketball
The Florida Gators have two Gator basketball programs:*Men's*Women's...
in the round of 64. In 2007, Pelphrey led the Jags to an NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
birth which resulted in a first-round loss to Syracuse (79-73). South Alabama finished the year with a 20-12 record, giving Pelphrey an overall record of 80-67 with the Jags and an offer to coach for the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
.
In his first eight seasons as the Jaguars coach, Ronnie Arrow
Ronnie Arrow
Ronnie Lee Arrow is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach at the University of South Alabama.-Playing career:...
compiled a record of 114-93 (.551) and was named Sun Belt
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991. His squads led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring four of his seven seasons at South Alabama. His 1988-89 squad set a school and league record 91 points per game average and five of his seven teams tallied at least 80 points per game. Since his return in 2007, Ronnie Arrow has compiled a 63-34 (64.9%) record and became the all-time winningest coach in South Alabama history with a 177-127 record (11 seasons). He also garnered an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the first for Sun Belt Conference is many years.
Current roster
Arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
was built in 1998. It is home to the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
Jaguars men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams. The 2001 and 2008 Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
men's basketball tournaments were held at the Mitchell Center.
Prior to moving into the Mitchell Center, the Jaguars had played their home games from 1968-1999 at the Jag Gym.
Mascot
In 1965 the South Alabama Board of Trustees selected the JaguarJaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
as the University's official mascot and during the late 1960s, USA housed a live Jaguar on the campus. However, the University later decided against housing a live animal on campus after Mischka, the jaguar, was accidentally set free on the campus after someone made the mistake of leaving her pen door unlocked.
In the 1971 Retrospect (Yearbook) a person is seen wearing a jaguar costume with a paper mache head covered with spotted fur. By 1972, the costume had changed to a look that showed the persons face and included a fur hat and body. In the late 1970s a mascot-naming contest was held and the name South Paw was chosen. In 1986 USA began its first structured mascot program, building the image of South Paw that exists today. A new costume with an enlarged soft head with comical expression have now replaced the old paper mache head.
Miss Pawla joined South Paw in 1992. Today, the duo of South Paw and Miss Pawla represent the Jaguars at USA athletic competitions and other events throughout the Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
community.