[GoMarquette.com] Brad Autry Named to Men's Basketball Staff

[GoMarquetteSays]

Brad Autry Named to Men's Basketball Staff
        

Marquette University men's basketball coach Buzz Williams has announced the hiring of Brad Autry as Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development, Men's Basketball.
        

http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/marq/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051308aaa.html
        
Milwaukee - Marquette University men's basketball coach Buzz Williams has announced the hiring of Brad Autry as Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development, Men's Basketball.

In his role, Autry will focus his efforts on coordinating and monitoring the daily schedules of the players currently in the program. His administrative duties will include managing class schedules and study hall attendance, scheduling individual and team community service projects and mentoring programs and coordinating student-athlete documentation as it relates to NCAA compliance.

"As we continue to build our staff, it is imperative to me that each position brings impeccable character, and whose best talent, is taking care of our players," Williams said. "I have known Brad since I was in college, and we are extremely grateful to have him here. His relationship with our players will be second to none, and our players will always know that he is doing everything he can possibly do to make sure that their tenure here is successful.

"Because of his experience, and the places he has been, his wisdom will be beneficial to all he comes in contact with," Williams added.

Autry brings nearly 20 years of experience at the collegiate level to Marquette, having made successful stops at programs including Baylor, Tulsa and Arkansas-Little Rock.

Autry arrives in Milwaukee after spending one year at Dekaney High School in Houston, Texas. He served as the fledgling program's head coach, directing four teams on the basketball court. DHS opened in the Fall of 2007 and featured only freshmen and sophomores last season as it continued its development. Autry did help guide the freshman squad to the district title in his lone campaign with the school.

Prior to Dekaney, Autry spent four seasons as an assistant coach at UALR. He was the final hire of Steve Shields' original staff and played an integral role in the early success of the Shields era at UALR. The program claimed back-to-back divisional titles (2003-04 & 2004-05) in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time in school history and the roster during Autry's tenure featured several all-conference performers, including the league's freshman of the year.
 


   

Autry was an assistant coach at Tulsa under Bill Self when the Golden Hurricane won the Western Athletic Conference championship in 2000 with a school-record 32 wins and a No. 9 national ranking while advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Before his time at Tulsa, Autry was an assistant coach for five seasons at Baylor in Waco, Texas. While at Baylor, Autry coached 1998 NBA first-round pick Brian Skinner for four years and helped the Bears to a school-record 11 consecutive wins. Baylor finished 18-11 that season, its first in the Big 12 Conference.

Baylor's 1996 recruiting class was ranked as high as sixth in the nation, and the 1997-98 team recorded the school's best conference record and the highest conference finish (fifth) since Baylor joined the Big 12.

As a prep player, Autry was an Oklahoma all-state performer in football, basketball and track before continuing his playing career at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1991.

While at NWOSU, Autry was a four-year basketball letterwinner, as well as an all-conference and all-district performer and the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990. Autry began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned his master's degree in education, and was a part of a Lone Star Conference championship and the NCAA Division II national tournament in 1993.

[HarveysWallbangers]

This is turning into an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies.

[ToddRosiakSays]

Autry added to support staff

Written by: Todd Rosiak


Brad Autry has been hired as coordinator of student-athlete development for the men's basketball program.

Autry, who's also spent time at Baylor, Tulsa and Arkansas-Little Rock, will be responsible for coordinating and monitoring the daily schedules of the players currently in the program.

More specifically, he'll manage class schedules and study hall attendance, be responsible for scheduling individual and team community service projects and mentoring programs as well as coordinating student-athlete documentation as it relates to NCAA compliance.

"I have known Brad since I was in college, and we are extremely grateful to have him here," said coach Buzz Williams in a statement. "His relationship with our players will be second to none, and our players will always know that he is doing everything he can possibly do to make sure that their tenure here is successful."

Autry spent last season as head coach at Dekaney High School in Houston. Prior to that he served as an assistant for four seasons at Arkansas-Little Rock.

A graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State, Autry was also an assistant for Bill Self at Tulsa.



http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2008/05/13/autry-added-to-support-staff.aspx

[augoman]

depressing. 

[mviale]

since when is this news?  Is Autry left handed?

[77ncaachamps]

Something positive to take away from this: it's the BILL SELF connection and Self's KU team won the NCAAs!

Now if some of that fortune rubs off on his assistants, can you imagine what kind of season MU is going to have this year? 

[bma725]

depressing. 

Exactly how is it depressing to hire someone who was an assistant at a Big 12 school and one of the top mid majors to be your 5th assistant? 

[Pakuni]

depressing. 

 

Were you holding out hope John Wooden would come out of retirement for the coordinator of student-athlete development gig?

[Tulsa Warrior]

Autry was well respected when he was a TU.  Even though he was early in his career the folks at Tulsa made sure they found a role for him.  His role as a Houston area high school coach won't hurt either.

[Tugg Speedman]

Were you holding out hope John Wooden would come out of retirement for the coordinator of student-athlete development gig?

Exactly, why are we even having this thread.  I hate to be blunt, but who really cares who the coordinator is?  The next time his name will make the news is when he quits this position.

[romey]

Exactly, why are we even having this thread.  I hate to be blunt, but who really cares who the coordinator is?  The next time his name will make the news is when he quits this position.

Exactly.  I hate to say it, but I have been very busy lately and while I have visited MUScoop, I haven't posted in a while.  The first string I read is this one, and as I'm reading through this (I honestly almost skipped it because my thought was "who cares?") I'm thinking, this sounds like a nice hire.  Considering the level of influence he has on the basketball court, how much help or damage can he provide?

So, I concur - how is this "depressing"?

[spiral97]

the first thing that struck me as odd when I read this was:
why would someone who has been an assistant for 5+ years (including at least one under Self) and at least 2 universities (not sure what his role at Baylor was) be hired or want to be hired for a job that seems to amount to a glorified academic babysitter.. don't get me wrong, the function is definitely one that needs to be done but wouldn't it seem he would want to be more involved with the playing aspect?  trying to figure out what I am missing here.

My second thought was:  why is there a specific position like this just for the basketball program?  I would imagine that it would be performed by a small group of people for the entire athletic department as a whole.

[MR.HAYWARD]

Wow !!  some of the people on this board absolutely continue to amaze me.   I man Buzz just hired a guy as hat amounts as about a 5th or 6th in line assistant with probably as good a pedigree and over qualified as a job like that has ever had in any program.  To be a ble to attarct an asset like that to that position is simply an amazing accomplishment by Buzz.  For all the people that are depressed ar see this as a beverly hillbillies hire?  This guy has a more impressive resume than the majority of assistants Crean hired during his tenure.  Guys like Green, Prielaeu, Horn, and even Buckley and stepehens had no where near the experience or the mentorships that this guy has and they were all full fledged assistants.  give me a break people...what an absolute steal!!  Buzz has put together a simply outstanding staff!!

[bma725]

the first thing that struck me as odd when I read this was:
why would someone who has been an assistant for 5+ years (including at least one under Self) and at least 2 universities (not sure what his role at Baylor was) be hired or want to be hired for a job that seems to amount to a glorified academic babysitter.. don't get me wrong, the function is definitely one that needs to be done but wouldn't it seem he would want to be more involved with the playing aspect?  trying to figure out what I am missing here.

He was an actual coach at Baylor.  At Tulsa, at least for the men, he held the same role that he will be filling for MU.  But after his first year, Self left to coach Illinois, and Autry became an assistant for the Tulsa women's team. 

[MUViking]

He was an actual coach at Baylor.  At Tulsa, at least for the men, he held the same role that he will be filling for MU.  But after his first year, Self left to coach Illinois, and Autry became an assistant for the Tulsa women's team. 

He was also an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock.  I actually posted on the UALR board (yes, it exists) a few weeks back when Autry's name came out on the Scout premium site.  They all raved about him.  He recruited Texas for UALR and they thought he did a great job in that capacity, and that he acquitted himself very well when he spoke publicly or met alums in public.  Everyone there loved him, and were angry when he was let go.  The story I got was that the head coach there was given pressure to make changes on his staff in order to keep his job, and so he asked Autry to resign and replaced him with former NBA player, Joe Klein.  All the UALR folks were disappointed that Autry was gone from the program.

The folks above who are saying this is the Beverley Hillbillies or depressing are showing they are absolutely clueless.  This was a solid hire.  Brad has shown his ability to relate with young men, and this is an important thing for a person in this capacity to have.  He will be interacting with our players day-in and day-out, and even though he won't be on the road recruiting, he'll be part of the recruiting process when guys come in for official visits.  Having a strong recruiter in this position will only add to the program more.

As someone who has already interacted with Brad personally, I believe this was a great hire.  Some of you need to get a clue.

[MUViking]

the first thing that struck me as odd when I read this was:
why would someone who has been an assistant for 5+ years (including at least one under Self) and at least 2 universities (not sure what his role at Baylor was) be hired or want to be hired for a job that seems to amount to a glorified academic babysitter.. don't get me wrong, the function is definitely one that needs to be done but wouldn't it seem he would want to be more involved with the playing aspect?  trying to figure out what I am missing here.

My second thought was:  why is there a specific position like this just for the basketball program?  I would imagine that it would be performed by a small group of people for the entire athletic department as a whole.

The answer to your first question I answered in my initial post.  He was at UALR in his last stop and was forced out because the head coach was forced to make changes.  The HC brought in a big name in Joe Klein and Autry took a job as a high school coach in Houston.  This is his chance to get back into a college situation at a high major program. 

The answer to your second question is one you should be able to read between the lines to answer.  This guy has a great deal of experience recruiting and dealing with student athletes and also has coaching experience.  A program is limited to three actual assistant coaches.  Wouldn't you want as many experienced people connected with the program as possible in other roles?  Did you ever wonder why we had Barone, Rab, and Julian Swartz on top of Buckley, Buzz and Seltzer? 

Men's hoops is the flagship program at Marquette.  The most resources and help will naturally be poured into it. 

[rocky_warrior]

He will be interacting with our players day-in and day-out, and even though he won't be on the road recruiting, he'll be part of the recruiting process when guys come in for official visits.  Having a strong recruiter in this position will only add to the program more.

Thanks for the info Vike.  I agree - this looks like another good hire.  I believe Buzz has a nose for talent, and having a young HC surround himself with talented people is a great thing.

[spiral97]

vike - those were generally my conclusions as well.  I also regard this hiring as seeming to be a good one.. just had the thoughts I did since if I were looking at that resume I'd have those same questions.