UNCG men’s basketball head coach Wes Miller announced Monday that he has elevated Chris Parsons to the position of assistant coach for the 2015-16 season. Parsons has spent the past five seasons as part of the UNCG staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the men’s basketball program.
“Chris has been a valuable member of our program for the last five years and I am excited that he will be able to move into a more natural role as an assistant coach,” Miller said. “He not only has tenure in our program, but he also brings a wealth of coaching experience at both the high school and the Division I level.”
Parsons returns to the bench as an assistant coach, bringing eight years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and prep levels. He was an assistant coach for three years at Marist College from 2004-07, helping the Red Foxes to 56 wins in three seasons, including a school-record 18 wins in 2006-07. He also spent one season as an assistant coach at Ivy League member Columbia in 2003-04.
Parsons got his coaching start at the prep level, spending four years at New Hampton School in New Hampshire from 1999-2003. He coached over 40 players who continued their careers at the collegiate level, including Miller (2002) and associate head coach Mike Roberts (2000).
Parsons played collegiately at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., helping the Pride to the East Coast Conference Tournament Championship in the 1993-94 season. A four-year starter and a two-time team captain, he played for two coaches at Hofstra, including current Villanova head coach Jay Wright. Parsons earned his degree in marketing from Hofstra in 1996.
Parsons also played at New Hampton School in the 1991-92 season and earned the Hutchinson Award while being team captain. He played interscholastically at power DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, helping his team to an undefeated season in 1990-91.
Parsons has also worked with the UNCG women’s golf, men’s golf and track/cross country programs as an assistant strength and conditioning coach over the last five years. Additionally, he spent two years at The Burdenko Institute as an exercise physiologist from 2007-09.
Photo Courtesy UNCG Athletics
