Saint Michael’s College men’s basketball head coach Eric Eaton announced the hire of Tevin Baskin as the program’s full-time first assistant coach recently, as he joins Eaton and part-time assistant coach Shay Berry in rounding out the staff heading into the 2020-21 school year.
Baskin spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons as a graduate assistant on Ben Howland’s staff at Division I Mississippi State University of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Bulldogs went a combined 43-22 during those two winters, winning at least 20 games in each while qualifying for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, their first in a decade. Mississippi State had at least 10 SEC victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995-96, and its league finish in 2019-20 was the program’s best in nine years.
“I am fired up to have Tevin join Coach Berry and me here at Saint Michael’s,” said Eaton. “I was fortunate to meet him while he was in high school and recruit him to Quinnipiac. He’s a tremendous person, and I’m not surprised at how successful he’s been so far in his career. Tevin is great with people and really knows the game. He’s got a great energy and will be a tremendous teacher and mentor for our student-athletes. He’s got a bright future as a coach, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
During Baskin’s tenure at Mississippi State, he played a vital role in assisting with player development and opponent scouting. In 2019, the Bulldogs saw Quinndary Weatherspoon selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the NBA Draft, while Aric Holman signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Baskin was an assistant coach at Division III Bridgewater (Va.) College during the 2017-18 school year, when the Eagles went 14-12 overall and 8-8 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), matching their best marks since 2008-09. Bridgewater earned the No. 4 seed in the ODAC Tournament and the right to host its first postseason contest in four years. Baskin aided the development of 2018 ODAC Rookie of the Year Dimetri Chambers.
Baskin began his college coaching career in 2016-17 at National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) power Northwest Florida State College, where he worked with wings and post players. The Raiders were ranked No. 1 in the Sporting News preseason national poll before going 29-5 overall and 12-0 in the Panhandle Conference, winning their third straight league crown with their first undefeated conference season. Northwest Florida advanced to the NJCAA Final Four, its second national semifinal appearance in three seasons.
Baskin played a significant role in the development of forward Jeromy Rodriguez, the 2017 Panhandle Conference Player of the Year and eventual Division I Eastern Tennessee State University student-athlete, and aided in the development of Daryl Edwards (LSU, UTEP), Andrew Gordon (West Virginia University, Louisiana Tech) and Malik Petteway (Robert Morris University), all of whom advanced to Division I careers.
A standout small forward at Trinity Catholic High School in his native Stamford, Conn., Baskin scored 1,869 career points as his teams went a combined 102-12. Baskin was rated as a top 50 small forward by ESPN.com and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in New York City as a senior.
Baskin’s college career began in 2010-11 at Division I Quinnipiac (Conn.) University, where Eaton was an assistant coach at the time. The Bobcats went 22-10 overall and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) before landing a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. In 2011-12, Baskin helped Chipola (Fla.) College post a 23-7 mark and qualify for the NJCAA Tournament after earning the No. 4 ranking in the preseason national poll.
Baskin made an impact in two seasons at Division I Appalachian State (N.C.) University, averaging 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds while blocking 48 shots. During his junior year, Baskin turned in 9.9 points and ranked fifth in the Southern Conference in rejections (34) while appearing in all 31 contests as a reserve before starting 16 of 25 games as senior, highlighted by a 24-point, six-rebound, four-steal outing at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) heavyweight North Carolina State University. Baskin continued his playing career for two seasons as a professional in Mexico, signing with Choriceros De Camargo shortly after graduating.
Baskin completed his bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a minor in sociology from Appalachian State in 2014 and earned his master’s degree in workforce education leadership from Mississippi State in 2020.
https://www.smcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/releases/20200819gh7plm
