When Ave Maria University looked to fill the men’s basketball head coach vacancy, it was important to find someone who could produce a winning program on the court while thoroughly understanding the mission of the school. After a month-long selection process, Jamon Copeland emerged as the candidate of choice.
“I look forward to getting to work,” said Copeland. “I believe that success comes from working with great people. We will have players that believe in the mission of this university, and we will engage the AMU basketball alumni that paved the way for us to be successful. This game is about relationships on and off the floor. We will work tirelessly to cultivate those relationships.”
Copeland was the founding coach of the AMU basketball program as it first competed in the 2009-2010 season. In just his third season, the Gyrenes had their first winning season, and in his fourth season, AMU broke through with its first 20-win season, going 23-9. At one point during that season, AMU rose as high as No. 14 in the nation for NAIA.
Following his time at AMU, Copeland accepted the head coaching position at the University of Texas at Tyler, where he served as the head coach for six seasons. During those six seasons, his teams notched the second, third, and fourth most wins in a season in program history while also posting the first postseason win in program history. This past season, he served as the head coach at Aledo High School in Texas, where he won District 4-5A Coach of the Year honors.
“My family and I are extremely excited to return to Ave Maria University,” said Copeland. “God truly made a way for us, as He always has, and we are so thankful.”
Coach Copeland and his wife have five children, and they look forward to their return to Ave Maria.
“This community has been so good to our family,” said Copeland. “This is where it all began for us. We started our family here and built a successful basketball program. The passion we have for the students here is unmatched. The mission of the university is incredible and something we whole-heartedly believe in.”
https://avemariagyrenes.com/news/2020/7/7/jamon-copeland-named-mens-basketball-head-coach.aspx
