An instrumental leader in the resurgence of the Angelo State men’s basketball program, Cinco Boone has been promoted to head coach following the resignation of Chris Beard who accepted the same position at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.
Boone, who helped guide the Rams to a 47-15 record over the past two seasons as the associate head coach, becomes the sixth head coach in ASU’s basketball history and takes the reins of a program which advanced to last year’s NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
“I am beyond ecstatic to become the next head men’s basketball coach at Angelo State University,” Boone said. “I want to thank Dr. Brian May and Sean Johnson for the opportunity to coach at such an outstanding institution that has had so many outstanding coaches in the past. We are looking to build upon the success that we’ve had here at ASU in the past two seasons. Our vision is to help our student-athletes be successful on and off the court, assist them in getting their diplomas and then propel them to successful careers in whatever they might choose to do while also competing for championships.”
Boone, 31, arrived at ASU with prior coaching experience at the Division I, Division II, junior college and high school levels, including working as Beard’s assistant coach at McMurry University during the 2012-13 season which followed two seasons as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin. He has prior head coaching experience at Jacksonville College and was a graduate assistant at Hardin Simmons University and an assistant Portales High School (New Mexico).
Angelo State is coming off a 28-6 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time in program history during the 2014-15 season with Boone serving as the associate head coach. ASU led the nation by outscoring opponents by an average of 20.3 points per game this season and finished third in the nation with a 52.8 field-goal percentage and were fifth in total assists (588) and with its 39.3 defensive field-goal percentage.
“While it is difficult to have lost Coach Beard, we have a great situation because we are elevating someone that was critical to our success in Coach Boone,” said ASU Director of Athletics Sean Johnson. “He helped develop the blueprint that has made Ram basketball successful and he will continue that success and build on it in his own way. Coach Boone brought a tremendous amount of experience to ASU as our associate head coach and is a perfect fit for us as our next head coach.”
The Rams established multiple program records last season, including recording the most wins in a season (28), winning 16 straight games, scoring 2,860 points, owning a 52.8 field-goal percentage and winning four postseason games. ASU finished the season averaging 84.1 points per game which was the 16th most points per game in the nation and the most in the region and conference. Along with team success, Chris Jones and Demario Mayfield earned NABC and Daktronics South Central honors to go along with being named to the Lone Star Conference first-team and Marsell Holden was an LSC honorable mention selection after leading the conference in 3-pointers. Additionally, Thomas Brandsma earned LSC All-Academic honors for his work on the court and in the classroom as a Finance major.
Boone helped lead a program-resurgence in 2013-14 with the Rams finishing with a 19-9 overall record after not having a winning season in the previous three seasons. ASU went 11-2 at the Junell Center during the season and won its first postseason game since the 2001 season. With Boone as an assistant, the program won 12 more games than the previous season after starting the season with a 10-0 record. He was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach following his first season with the Rams.
Prior to Angelo State, Boone assisted Beard in guiding McMurry’s basketball team through its first year as a NCAA Division II program and led the War Hawks to a 19-10 overall record and to the regional final of the National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament.
A Portales, New Mexico native, Boone earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Mathematics after graduating from Portales High School. His first coaching position came at his high school alma mater where he was the assistant varsity coach from 2003-06. Boone began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Hardin Simmons University during the 2006-07 season. At HSU, he was the primary assistant and head recruiter along with attending graduate school and teaching two Physical Assessment and Conditioning courses. He earned his graduate degree in Sports Recreation and Management in 2008.
His experience in Abilene led to the opportunity to coach at Jacksonville College in East Texas. At JC, Boone started as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach for the 2009-10 season. As the head coach, JC was a Region XIV qualifier and won its opening postseason game. His team also knocked off two nationally top-10 teams. From Jacksonville College, Boone accepted an assistant coach’s position at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches. An SFA assistant for Danny Kaspar, who is now the head coach at Texas State, Boone’s responsibilities included recruiting, scouting, on-floor coaching and academic supervision. He helped lead the Lumberjacks to two Southland Conference tournament appearances.
Boone and his wife, Michelle, have been married for two years. Michelle will graduate from the Texas Tech University School of Law in May.
“We will recruit student-athletes who are passionate about the game of basketball and that are serious about obtaining their degrees,” Boone said. “Combined with their talent, our staff will value high character, unselfish, tough, and competitive kids and we look forward to winning a lot of ballgames with these types of players. Our practices will be geared towards each player fulfilling their roles, being great teammates, and competing at a high level. Our teams will defend and rebound, as that will be a staple to our success and a point of emphasis at all times, and offensively, we will give our players freedom to make plays within their range of talent. We cannot wait to get started and my family and I are extremely excited to remain in the Ram family and San Angelo community.”
http://www.angelosports.com/news/2015/4/8/MBB_0408151150.aspx
Photo courtesy Angelo State
