2017-18 Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
COACHES
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Ray Harper
Head Men's Basketball Coach
April 6, 2016, Gamecocks athletics director Greg Seitz announced the hiring of Ray Harper as the program’s 11th head coach and the fifth to run the Gamecocks at the Division I level.
Harper inherited a team that was 8-23 the season prior and had not qualified for an OVC Tournament since 2012. The Gamecocks were picked to finish 12th out of 12 teams during preseason polling, and since joining the Division I ranks in 1993, JSU had never won a conference championship or appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Less than one year after his hire date, the first-year head coach completely changed the perception of Jacksonville State basketball.
The Gamecocks completed the most successful season in the program’s history in 2016-17. Harper led JSU to its first ever Ohio Valley Conference title, first appearance in the Division I NCAA Tournament and just the second 20-win season in the program’s Division I history. JSU finished the 2016-17 campaign as the sixth-most improved team in the nation (+10.0 wins).
The Gamecocks clinched a berth to just their fifth OVC Tournament since joining the league in 2003-04 with a 70-61 road win over Morehead State to cap the regular season. JSU entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed, earning a first-round bye. Jacksonville State defeated No. 5 seeded Southeast Missouri 74-51 in the first round, upset top-seeded Belmont 65-59 in the second round and downed No. 2 seeded UT Martin 66-55 to claim its first Division I title.
Harper became only the second head coach in JSU history to lead the Gamecocks to a 20-win season as a Division I program. He is just the second Jacksonville State head coach to win 20 games in his first season at the helm, tying legendary head coach Bill Jones who began his tenure in 1974 with a 20-7 clip. Harper is one of three first-year head coaches to enjoy a .500+ record; Jones was the last to accomplish the feat in a premiere season 42 years ago.
A veteran with over 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate ranks, Harper boasts a 451-142 career record in 18 years as a head coach. That career includes four national championships - two at the Division II level and two in NAIA.
Harper came to Jacksonville after a five-year stint at Western Kentucky that saw him post an 89-64 mark that included three 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. After serving over two years as an assistant at WKU, he took over as the Hilltoppers’ interim coach in January of the 2011-12 season and was named the full-time head coach in early February.
At WKU, he went to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013 and won 20 games in his first three full seasons, making him the first coach in WKU history to achieve the feat.
After taking the helm at Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers went 11-8 (interim) and 7-1 after he was named full-time head coach, which came after starting the season with a 5-11 record.
His debut with the Hilltoppers saw him rally them to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and a win over Mississippi Valley State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton. A 20-12 record in 2012-13 ended with the Hilltoppers’ second trip to the Big Dance in as many years.
Prior to joining the WKU program as an assistant in 2009, Harper built a head coaching resume that included four national championships, five national runner-up finishes, eight conference titles, five national coach-of-the-year honors and a 342-63 record over 12 years at Kentucky Wesleyan and Oklahoma City University.
Harper was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year four-straight years from 1999-2002, while earning the honor at the NAIA Division I level once with Oklahoma City following the 2008 title run. He was selected conference coach of the year on seven occasions, as well as the region coach of the year twice.
In nine years at his alma mater Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Ky., Harper laid claim to seven NCAA coaching records, surpassing Division I record-holders in all instances, including becoming the fastest to 200 wins (224 games), holding the most consecutive 30-win seasons (6) and compiling the most wins in each of the first four-through-eight seasons of his career.
With NCAA Division II title game appearances each season from 1998-03, he became the first NCAA head coach since John Wooden to appear in six-straight NCAA National Championship games. He won in ‘99 and ‘01.
The NCAA requires a minimum of 10 seasons at the Division II level to officially qualify for its list of head coaching records, but Harper’s nine-year record of 247-46 at Kentucky Wesleyan would give him the best winning percentage in Division II history at .843.
At Kentucky Wesleyan, he coached two National Players of the Year, seven All-Americans and nine NABC Great Lakes All-Region players. He had 11 players selected All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and two that were named the league’s player of the year.
Through seven seasons, he had more victories than any coach at the NCAA Division I and II levels (210). Harper reached 200 wins in 224 games, which was faster than NCAA Division I record holder and Hall of Famer Clair Bee, who won 200 in 231 games.
On February 17, 2008, Harper’s number 12 jersey was retired at Kentucky Wesleyan, and the floor at Jones Gymnasium was named “Ray Harper Court.”
From Kentucky Wesleyan, Harper went to Oklahoma City, where in three seasons at the NAIA Division I institution, Harper put together a 95-17 record that featured back-to-back national titles in ‘07 and ‘08.
He has also coached on the international level, having led USA Basketball men’s junior team to a 7-1 record and a fifth-place finish at the 2003 FIBA World Championships in Greece.
The native of Bremen, Ky., and a 1985 graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan, Harper was a two-year starter for the Panthers after transferring from Texas. He became the school’s first All-American as a senior, and he also earned most outstanding player in the regional as well as all-region and all-conference accolades. The 1981 Southwest Conference Rookie of the Year at Texas after averaging 9.8 points and 3.9 assists per outing, Harper finished his college career with 1,187 points and 605 assists at the two schools.
In April of 2010, Harper was named to Kentucky Wesleyan’s All-Century Team. Harper coached 12 of the 30 players on the All-Century Team
Harper scored 3,033 points during his high school playing career, earning all-state honors as a senior and District Player of the Year acclaim twice. He earned his Master’s degree from WKU in 1995.
Career Record: 451 - 142 (18 seasons)
Record at Jacksonville State: 20-15 (One Season)
Personal
Born: October 11, 1961, Bremen, Ky.
Hometown: Bremen, Ky.
High School: Bremen (Ky.), 1980
College: Texas, 1981-82; Kentucky Wesleyan, 1983-85 (Bachelor of Science); Western Kentucky, 1994-95 (Master’s)
Wife: Shannon
Playing career
High School: Bremen (Ky.) (guard, four letters, first-team all-state, two-time district player of the year)
College: Texas (1980-82, guard, two letters, 1981 Southwest Conference Rookie of the Year); Kentucky Wesleyan (1983-85, two letters, 1985 third-team All-American, 1985 all-conference)
Milestone Victories
No. Date Score
1 11/16/96 Ky. Wesleyan 68, Delta State 60
100 1/25/01 Ky. Wesleyan 96, SIUE 20
200 2/15/03 Ky. Wesleyan 71, Northern Ky. 68
300 3/4/06 Okla. City 76, Okla. Christian 69
400 3/9/13 Western Ky. 62, South Alabama 59
450 3/3/17 Jacksonville State 65, Belmont 59
Ray Harper’s Coaching Record
1996-97: Kentucky Wesleyan 21-8
1997-98: Kentucky Wesleyan 30-3
1998-99: Kentucky Wesleyan 35-1*
1999-00: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3^
2000-01: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3*
2001-02: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3^
2002-03: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-4^
2003-04: Kentucky Wesleyan 22-8
2004-05: Kentucky Wesleyan 15-13
2005-06: Oklahoma City 29-8^
2006-07: Oklahoma City 35-2*
2007-08: Oklahoma City 31-7*
2011-12: Western Kentucky 11-8
2012-13: Western Kentucky 20-16
2013-14: Western Kentucky 20-12
2014-15: Western Kentucky 20-12
2015-16: Western Kentucky 18-16
2016-17: Jacksonville State 20-15
Total: 18 Years 451-142
(*) national championship
(^) national runner-up
Ray Harper Collegiate Head Coaching History
School First Yr. Last Yr. W L Pct.
JSU 2016-17 Pres. 20 15 .571
WKU 2012-13 2015-16 89 64 .582
OKC 2005-06 2007-08 95 17 .848
KWU 1996-97 2004-05 247 46 .843
Total (18 seasons) 451 142 .761
COACHES
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Ray Harper
Head Men's Basketball Coach
April 6, 2016, Gamecocks athletics director Greg Seitz announced the hiring of Ray Harper as the program’s 11th head coach and the fifth to run the Gamecocks at the Division I level.
Harper inherited a team that was 8-23 the season prior and had not qualified for an OVC Tournament since 2012. The Gamecocks were picked to finish 12th out of 12 teams during preseason polling, and since joining the Division I ranks in 1993, JSU had never won a conference championship or appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Less than one year after his hire date, the first-year head coach completely changed the perception of Jacksonville State basketball.
The Gamecocks completed the most successful season in the program’s history in 2016-17. Harper led JSU to its first ever Ohio Valley Conference title, first appearance in the Division I NCAA Tournament and just the second 20-win season in the program’s Division I history. JSU finished the 2016-17 campaign as the sixth-most improved team in the nation (+10.0 wins).
The Gamecocks clinched a berth to just their fifth OVC Tournament since joining the league in 2003-04 with a 70-61 road win over Morehead State to cap the regular season. JSU entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed, earning a first-round bye. Jacksonville State defeated No. 5 seeded Southeast Missouri 74-51 in the first round, upset top-seeded Belmont 65-59 in the second round and downed No. 2 seeded UT Martin 66-55 to claim its first Division I title.
Harper became only the second head coach in JSU history to lead the Gamecocks to a 20-win season as a Division I program. He is just the second Jacksonville State head coach to win 20 games in his first season at the helm, tying legendary head coach Bill Jones who began his tenure in 1974 with a 20-7 clip. Harper is one of three first-year head coaches to enjoy a .500+ record; Jones was the last to accomplish the feat in a premiere season 42 years ago.
A veteran with over 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate ranks, Harper boasts a 451-142 career record in 18 years as a head coach. That career includes four national championships - two at the Division II level and two in NAIA.
Harper came to Jacksonville after a five-year stint at Western Kentucky that saw him post an 89-64 mark that included three 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. After serving over two years as an assistant at WKU, he took over as the Hilltoppers’ interim coach in January of the 2011-12 season and was named the full-time head coach in early February.
At WKU, he went to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013 and won 20 games in his first three full seasons, making him the first coach in WKU history to achieve the feat.
After taking the helm at Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers went 11-8 (interim) and 7-1 after he was named full-time head coach, which came after starting the season with a 5-11 record.
His debut with the Hilltoppers saw him rally them to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and a win over Mississippi Valley State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton. A 20-12 record in 2012-13 ended with the Hilltoppers’ second trip to the Big Dance in as many years.
Prior to joining the WKU program as an assistant in 2009, Harper built a head coaching resume that included four national championships, five national runner-up finishes, eight conference titles, five national coach-of-the-year honors and a 342-63 record over 12 years at Kentucky Wesleyan and Oklahoma City University.
Harper was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year four-straight years from 1999-2002, while earning the honor at the NAIA Division I level once with Oklahoma City following the 2008 title run. He was selected conference coach of the year on seven occasions, as well as the region coach of the year twice.
In nine years at his alma mater Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Ky., Harper laid claim to seven NCAA coaching records, surpassing Division I record-holders in all instances, including becoming the fastest to 200 wins (224 games), holding the most consecutive 30-win seasons (6) and compiling the most wins in each of the first four-through-eight seasons of his career.
With NCAA Division II title game appearances each season from 1998-03, he became the first NCAA head coach since John Wooden to appear in six-straight NCAA National Championship games. He won in ‘99 and ‘01.
The NCAA requires a minimum of 10 seasons at the Division II level to officially qualify for its list of head coaching records, but Harper’s nine-year record of 247-46 at Kentucky Wesleyan would give him the best winning percentage in Division II history at .843.
At Kentucky Wesleyan, he coached two National Players of the Year, seven All-Americans and nine NABC Great Lakes All-Region players. He had 11 players selected All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and two that were named the league’s player of the year.
Through seven seasons, he had more victories than any coach at the NCAA Division I and II levels (210). Harper reached 200 wins in 224 games, which was faster than NCAA Division I record holder and Hall of Famer Clair Bee, who won 200 in 231 games.
On February 17, 2008, Harper’s number 12 jersey was retired at Kentucky Wesleyan, and the floor at Jones Gymnasium was named “Ray Harper Court.”
From Kentucky Wesleyan, Harper went to Oklahoma City, where in three seasons at the NAIA Division I institution, Harper put together a 95-17 record that featured back-to-back national titles in ‘07 and ‘08.
He has also coached on the international level, having led USA Basketball men’s junior team to a 7-1 record and a fifth-place finish at the 2003 FIBA World Championships in Greece.
The native of Bremen, Ky., and a 1985 graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan, Harper was a two-year starter for the Panthers after transferring from Texas. He became the school’s first All-American as a senior, and he also earned most outstanding player in the regional as well as all-region and all-conference accolades. The 1981 Southwest Conference Rookie of the Year at Texas after averaging 9.8 points and 3.9 assists per outing, Harper finished his college career with 1,187 points and 605 assists at the two schools.
In April of 2010, Harper was named to Kentucky Wesleyan’s All-Century Team. Harper coached 12 of the 30 players on the All-Century Team
Harper scored 3,033 points during his high school playing career, earning all-state honors as a senior and District Player of the Year acclaim twice. He earned his Master’s degree from WKU in 1995.
Career Record: 451 - 142 (18 seasons)
Record at Jacksonville State: 20-15 (One Season)
Personal
Born: October 11, 1961, Bremen, Ky.
Hometown: Bremen, Ky.
High School: Bremen (Ky.), 1980
College: Texas, 1981-82; Kentucky Wesleyan, 1983-85 (Bachelor of Science); Western Kentucky, 1994-95 (Master’s)
Wife: Shannon
Playing career
High School: Bremen (Ky.) (guard, four letters, first-team all-state, two-time district player of the year)
College: Texas (1980-82, guard, two letters, 1981 Southwest Conference Rookie of the Year); Kentucky Wesleyan (1983-85, two letters, 1985 third-team All-American, 1985 all-conference)
Milestone Victories
No. Date Score
1 11/16/96 Ky. Wesleyan 68, Delta State 60
100 1/25/01 Ky. Wesleyan 96, SIUE 20
200 2/15/03 Ky. Wesleyan 71, Northern Ky. 68
300 3/4/06 Okla. City 76, Okla. Christian 69
400 3/9/13 Western Ky. 62, South Alabama 59
450 3/3/17 Jacksonville State 65, Belmont 59
Ray Harper’s Coaching Record
1996-97: Kentucky Wesleyan 21-8
1997-98: Kentucky Wesleyan 30-3
1998-99: Kentucky Wesleyan 35-1*
1999-00: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3^
2000-01: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3*
2001-02: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-3^
2002-03: Kentucky Wesleyan 31-4^
2003-04: Kentucky Wesleyan 22-8
2004-05: Kentucky Wesleyan 15-13
2005-06: Oklahoma City 29-8^
2006-07: Oklahoma City 35-2*
2007-08: Oklahoma City 31-7*
2011-12: Western Kentucky 11-8
2012-13: Western Kentucky 20-16
2013-14: Western Kentucky 20-12
2014-15: Western Kentucky 20-12
2015-16: Western Kentucky 18-16
2016-17: Jacksonville State 20-15
Total: 18 Years 451-142
(*) national championship
(^) national runner-up
Ray Harper Collegiate Head Coaching History
School First Yr. Last Yr. W L Pct.
JSU 2016-17 Pres. 20 15 .571
WKU 2012-13 2015-16 89 64 .582
OKC 2005-06 2007-08 95 17 .848
KWU 1996-97 2004-05 247 46 .843
Total (18 seasons) 451 142 .761
