East Tennessee State University men’s basketball head coach Brooks Savage announced on Monday the hiring of Marcus Belcher as the Buccaneers’ new assistant coach.
Belcher has nearly 20 years of coaching experience at the Division I level with his most recent stop being at Jacksonville State.
“Marcus Belcher is a tremendous addition to our program! He is a true pro with 20 years of experience,” said Savage. “Marcus is highly respected within the coaching profession and will be a great fit with us. Marcus is proven in every aspect of the job and will make an immediate impact within our program. He builds genuine relationships, he’s an ace recruiter, great teacher and communicator on the floor, and someone who will be invested in the success of our student-athletes. The Tri-Cities is going to really enjoy getting to know Coach Belcher and his family.”
Belcher served as an assistant under Ray Harper at Jacksonville State the last two seasons where the Gamecocks made the transition from the ASUN to Conference USA. In Jacksonville State’s first season in CUSA, the Gamecocks led the league in rebound margin (+6.09) and rebounding defense (30.7), while ranking third in scoring defense (66.4). The Gamecocks also ranked second in defensive rebound percentage (.755) and offensive rebound percentage (.339). KyKy Tandy earned first team all-CUSA honors and earned a spot on the NABC First Team All-District. Tandy led the conference in scoring (18.3 ppg) and set a new Division I school record for points in a season with 567.
Belcher has a lot of ties to the Missouri Valley Conference as he served as an assistant coach at Illinois State from 2019-22, spent eight seasons at Indiana State (2011-19), one season at his alma mater Southern Illinois (2010-11) and two seasons at Evansville (2008-10).
Belcher has history of recruiting and coaching NBA talent. During his coaching career, he helped develop and mentor high-level student-athletes that went on to ACC and SEC programs and eventually were selected in the NBA Draft. Some of those players include Antonio Reeves, DJ Horne, Tyreke Key and Jake LaRavia.
Belcher began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at SIU Edwardsville from 2004-06 and spent the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois. In the two seasons in Edwardsville, Belcher coached under former Evansville head coach Marty Simmons and led the Cougars to back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament berths, including an Elite Eight appearances in 2006.
“I am really excited for this opportunity,” said Belcher. “When looking at the opportunity to join the ETSU family, the first thing that stuck out was Coach Savage. He is someone who I think is one of the best young, and up and coming coaches in the country. His track record speaks for itself. I am looking forward to joining the Buccaneer family and being part of his team.
“Also, being at ETSU is exciting. They have a historic program, won a lot of championships and been in many NCAA Tournaments. We look forward to continuing that success. My family and I are excited to be in Johnson City and are thrilled to be part of the Buccaneer family!”
During his time at Indiana State, Belcher spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons as an associate head coach for the Sycamores. In the eight years at Indiana State, Belcher coached 11 all-MVC selections, which includes two-time first team honoree Jake Odum and 2015 Freshman of the Year, Brenton Scott. The Sycamores made three straight postseason appearances during Belcher’s time in Terre Haute as Indiana State played in the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and made back-to-back appearances in the NIT in 2013 and 2014.
Belcher has coached under five head coaches who have combined for over 1,500 wins and 26 postseason appearances, including 11 NCAA Tournaments. Those coaches include Ray Harper, Greg Lansing, Chris Lowery, Mike Miller, Dan Muller and Marty Simmons.
Basketball runs in Belcher’s family as his brother, Cookie, played collegiately at Nebraska and played a decade overseas. His brother, who coached for eight seasons at IMG Academy, accepted a coaching position on Ty Lue’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021. Belcher is childhood friends with Lue.
As a player, Belcher was on the Southern Illinois team coached by Bruce Weber that reached the Sweet 16 in 2002. Belcher was the starting point guard for the Salukis that went 28-8 and won the MVC Championship in 2002.
Belcher received a master’s degree in sport management from SIU Edwardsville in 2006.
East Tennessee State hires Belcher as Assistant Basketball Coach
