Phil Cunningham, who led Troy to an NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach in 2017, has been named the eighth head men’s basketball coach at ULM, Director of Athletics John Hartwell announced on Tuesday (March 18).
Cunningham will be formally introduced at a press conference Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“We are excited to have Phil Cunningham leading our basketball program,” said Hartwell. “The pool of candidates interested in our job was impressive. Phil distanced himself from the talented pool with his plan of excellence, his outstanding reputation as a recruiter and his experience as a Sun Belt Conference champion head coach.”
“It is an extraordinary blessing and privilege to be named the head coach at ULM,” said Cunningham. “Words can’t express the gratitude I want to extend to John Hartwell and Keith Richard for opening the door last summer that eventually led to this opportunity. I really enjoy living in Monroe and becoming immersed in the ULM community, and I look forward to recruiting the type of players that can help us compete at the highest level of the Sun Belt Conference. I can assure you that nobody will outwork us.”
Cunningham served as the assistant coach for the Warhawks during the 2024-25 season and takes the reigns of the storied ULM men’s basketball program after Keith Richard announced his retirement following 15 seasons, four postseason appearances and 170 wins as the head coach of the Warhawks.
Cunningham was hired by Hartwell at Troy University in 2013 as the Trojans’ head men’s basketball coach. Cunningham served as the head coach at Troy for six seasons from 2013-19. As the head coach, Cunningham transformed Troy from a program that was facing serious APR penalties into a winning culture on and off the court. In 2017, the Trojans captured their first Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship in school history and reached March Madness for just the second time ever. Cunningham’s team had the biggest wins turnaround in school history during the 2016-17 season and finished with the most wins (22) since the 2003-04 season.
Cunningham signed and coached two of the most talented players in Troy basketball history in Wesley Person, Jr. and Jordon Varnado, who both hold the top two spots on Troy’s all-time leading scorers list. Person, Jr. was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection and became the second player in conference history to be named all-conference in four consecutive seasons. He was voted 2017 SBC Tournament MVP and was the 2015 SBC Freshman of the Year and holds the conference record for most career 3-point field goals (361). Varnado was a three-time All-SBC honoree and was recognized on the 2017 Sun Belt Al-Tournament Team and 2018-19 Julius Erving National Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
While at Troy, Cunningham prioritized academic achievement. In the classroom, Troy earned the highest team GPA in the Sun Belt during the 2016-17 academic year. Under Cunningham’s watch, the Trojans won two Sun Belt Team Academic Awards with all 16 players who competed as seniors earning their degrees.
As an assistant coach, Cunningham had two separate stints at Western Kentucky, where he was an associate head coach from 2019-23 and an assistant coach during the 2012-13 season. As an associate head coach, Cunningham led the Hilltoppers to the 2021 Conference USA Regular Season title and an NIT Quarterfinals appearance. In his first stint as an assistant coach in Bowling Green, the Hilltoppers earned an NCAA Tournament berth after winning four games in four days at the SBC Tournament to claim WKU’s second-straight conference title. The Hilltoppers narrowly fell to No. 1 seed Kansas by seven points in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Cunningham spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 2000-12 under Rick Stansbury. While in Starkville, Cunningham was a part of six NCAA Tournament appearances and 10 total postseason appearances. The Bulldogs won five Southeastern Conference Western Division crowns, one regular season conference championship and a pair of SEC Tournament titles during Cunningham’s tenure as an assistant. Mississippi State averaged over 20 wins per season during Cunningham’s 12 seasons in Starkville.
All 12 recruiting classes Cunningham was involved with at Mississippi State were nationally recognized. Cunningham helped sign highly touted prospects such as Jarvis Varnado, Jamont Gordon, Arnette Moultrie, Charles Rhodes and 2004 Gatorade National Player of the Year Monta Ellis, who went directly to the NBA after signing with Mississippi State.
Before Mississippi State, Cunningham spent five seasons as an assistant coach under Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell at James Madison and Georgia State. Hartwell was an associate athletic director at Georgia State and served as the color analyst for men’s basketball on the Georgia State Radio Network during Cunningham’s tenure at GSU.
Cunningham, who was promoted to Driesell’s associate head coach his final two seasons at GSU, was instrumental in helping transform the Panthers into one of the winningest basketball programs in the Atlantic Sun Conference. His recruiting efforts at Georgia State proved pivotal in the Panthers landing successive conference player of the year recipients Thomas Terrell and Shernard Long.
Prior to moving to Georgia State with Driesell in 1997, Cunningham spent the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons as an assistant coach on the staff of Driesell at James Madison.
Cunningham’s first job as a head basketball coach was at Sue Bennett College in London, Ky. Taking over a former junior college program making the jump to four-year competition in the NAIA, Cunningham paced Sue Bennett to 48 victories during his three seasons at the helm of the Dragons, including postseason tournament appearances during each of the school’s first two years of postseason eligibility status.
Cunningham cut his teeth at the Division I level at Mississippi State as a graduate assistant for the 1991-92 season, where he learned from head coach Richard Williams, who led the Bulldogs to a Final Four appearance in 1996. He earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from Mississippi State.
Cunningham began his coaching career in the 1990-91 season as an assistant coach on his father’s staff at Campbellsville University after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He helped lead the Tigers to the District 32 championship and an appearance in the NAIA Tournament.
After graduating from Taylor County, Cunningham began his collegiate playing career at Kentucky Wesleyan and won a NCAA Division II National Championship in 1987. Citing a desire to play for his highly respected father, Cunningham subsequently transferred to Campbellsville College, now Campbellsville University, where he finished his career ranked among the school’s all-time leaders in career assists.
Cunningham has one daughter, Shelby (24), who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Buffalo and master’s degree from Columbia University.
Cunningham’s hire is pending the approval of the UL System Board.
https://ulmwarhawks.com/news/2025/3/18/phil-cunningham-named-ulm-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
