High Point University President Dr. Nido R. Qubein and Vice President and Athletic Director Dan Hauser have announced a contract extension for HPU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Alan Huss.
“Coach Huss and his staff have done an extraordinary job building a winning program that is both talented and values-centered,” President Qubein said. “We are delighted to renew his contract and to ensure his coaching staff remains intact. Like HPU, our basketball team and their coaches are focused on being outstanding on and off the court. We are very proud of them.”
In Huss’ two seasons at the helm, he has compiled and overall record of 53-14 with a 27-5 Big South record becoming the fastest coach in Big South history to reach 50 wins in just 64 games.
No other coach has done it quite like Coach Huss has in only two seasons. The program’s first-ever two-time Big South Coach of the Year turned around an under .500 program and guided the Panthers to back-to-back outright Big South Regular Season titles for the first time in program history. High Point became the first team in the Big South since 2011 (Coastal Carolina) to win back-to-back outright regular season titles.
The Panthers have posted two back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in the DI era and the sixth 20-win season in program history. On the home court, the Panthers have protected the extraordinary Qubein Center with only three losses, posting a record of 31-3. In back-to-back seasons, the Panthers set the non-conference win record since becoming Division I in 1999, recording 11 wins in 2023-24 and 12 wins in 2024-25.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading our program at High Point University,” Huss said. “I want to thank Dr. Qubein for his leadership and Athletic Director Dan Hauser for his unwavering support. HPU’s values align perfectly with my own, and I truly love being part of this extraordinary community.
“From the start, the High Point community has welcomed us with open arms, and I am so thankful for the support of our fans and students. To my staff and our players, I appreciate your trust in our vision and the hard work you put in every day. I look forward to continuing to build a program that our alumni, students, and fans can be proud of. The best is yet to come!”
During the 2024-25 season, HPU finished 26-5 in the regular season with a 14-2 league record. The 26 regular-season wins is the most in program history and tied the Big South regular-season wins record with Coastal Carolina’s 2010-11 season (26-4). The Panthers also set the best win percentage in Division I era with an 88-percent win percentage in conference play and an 84-percentage win percentage in the regular season.
Since cracking the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 on December 22, 2024, the Panthers have remained in the Top 25 for 32 consecutive weeks which ranks as the second longest streak in Big South history. High Point reached as high as No. 5 on February 5, 2024 and currently sit at No. 10 as of March 3, 2025. High Point has also received a vote in the Associated Press poll four times during the 2024-25 season, receiving as many as four votes in the poll on March 3, 2025.
Recently, Coach Huss was named a finalist for the 2024-25 Hugh Durham Award which is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.
Coach Huss kicked off his first season with an overall record of 27-9, which is the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history, and the most wins in HPU’s NCAA Division I era. Coach Huss led all 31 rookie head coaches across the country with 27 wins.
Following the 2023-24 Big South Tournament, the Panthers made their first postseason tournament appearance since the 2015-16 season at the College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Florida, and finished as the runner-up.
At one point during the season, the Panthers held the longest active win streak in the country with 12-straight wins (December19 – February 7), which is the longest win streak in Division I program history. Currently, High Point is on an 11-game win streak heading into the 2024-25 Big South Tournament.
In 2023-24, Coach Huss was named a “mid-season” recipient for the 2024 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award in early January and was later named the ESPN Coach of the Week in the Men’s Power Rankings on January 29. As a team, High Point was named the Field of 68 Mid-Major Team of the Week on February 6, 2024, along with Indiana State.
Overall, Coach Huss has produced seven Big South All-Conference players along with a 2x Defensive Player of the Year, a Newcomer of the Year and a Freshman of the Year. Kezza Giffa was named the 2024-25 Big South Preseason Player of the Year and Kimani Hamilton was named a Preseason First Team All-Conference recipient. Both Giffa and Hamilton were named Bracketeer Preseason All-Americans as well.
The Panthers have totaled nine Big South Players of the Week and 13 Big South Freshman of the Week awards over two seasons, as Juslin Bodo Bodo recorded nine Freshman of the Week awards in 2023-24 for a Big South and program record in a single season. Kezza Giffa was named one of five players to the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week on January 21, 2024 and Duke Miles was named to the Lou Henson Award watch list on January 11, 2024 becoming the third Panther to be named to the mid-season watch list in program history.
