After seven years at Texas State, Jim Shaw has joined Billy Gillispie‘s staff as an assistant coach for Tarleton Men’s Basketball.
Shaw reunites with his former coach, where he was once a graduate assistant at UTEP. Shaw brings 16 years of Division I experience on his resume, with other stops at Texas Tech and Nebraska. He served as the director of basketball operations for the Bobcats in his first year before being elevated to assistant coach for the last six seasons.
“Jim Shaw is a star in the making and destined to be a head coach in the very near future,” said Gillispie. “Jim started his career with us [at UTEP] and possesses the qualities that help make any program successful with hard work, dedication and determination. We are extremely happy to have him back.
“He’s great in every aspect of coaching, including recruiting, skill development, and is especially good at developing relationships with the players,” Gillispie added. “He will make the Tarleton Basketball program proud.”
Shaw helped guide the Bobcats to one of the top turnarounds in program history when the Bobcats improved from eight wins in 2013-14 to 14 victories in 2014-15. Since then, the success has continued to trend upwards as Shaw has helped the Bobcats win 82 games in a four-year span, marking the sixth most among NCAA Division I programs in Texas (23).
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to help Coach Gillispie transition the Tarleton State University men’s basketball program to the Division I level,” said Shaw. “Tarleton has consistently been one of the best college basketball programs in the state of Texas for the past three decades and it is an honor to be a part of such a great institution, athletic department and basketball program. I look forward to joining the Stephenville community and getting to work to help make a positive impact on our Texan student-athletes!”
He came to Texas State after serving one season as director of operations at Texas Tech. In his lone season at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders won their first Big 12 Tournament game since 2010, and tripled their conference win total from the season before.
Prior to Texas Tech, Shaw spent six years as the video coordinator at Nebraska, where he oversaw all aspects of the video operations, including video exchange, taping workouts and games, breaking down video and organizing the video library.
He also helped coordinate Nebraska’s player appearances in the community and assists with the Huskers’ team efforts in NU’s Life Skills Team Award challenge. During the offseason, he played an integral role with the Doc Sadler Basketball Camps by assisting with all phases of camp planning and supervision.
While with the Huskers, Shaw helped three squads to postseason play. In 2008-09, the Huskers earned an 18-13 record and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). It was the second straight year that culminated with a postseason NIT appearance for the Huskers and included a .500 finish (8-8) in Big 12 Conference play, both firsts in a decade for the program. Previously, Shaw helped Sadler guide UTEP to an NCAA berth in 2004 and an appearance in the 2005 NIT.
Shaw joined the Nebraska staff after serving as a graduate assistant at UTEP under Sadler and Gillispie. Shaw handled all duties surrounding the Miners’ video system during his three years in El Paso, and was heavily involved with directing camps and clinics, including serving as director for the Doc Sadler Basketball Camps each of his last two years. He also has significant experience assisting with recruiting efforts and all areas of player development.
“Coach Gillispie got me in to college basketball as a graduate assistant at UTEP and I look at him as a mentor,” said Shaw. “It is great to be back with Coach [Gillispie] as he starts this new challenge. I’m really looking forward to getting started!”
A native of San Antonio, Shaw earned his undergraduate degree in economics at Grinnell (Iowa) College in 2003. He added a master’s degree in business administration from Texas-El Paso in 2005.
Shaw was a four-year letter winner at Grinnell, helping the Pioneers to four straight Division III national scoring titles, including an all-division scoring record of 124.9 points per game in 2002-03. He led Grinnell to a league title as a sophomore and senior, and in 2001, paced the conference in made three-pointers while pushing the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament.
Gillispie adds Shaw to Tarleton State staff
Photo Courtesy Tarleton Athletics
