University of Tulsa Head Basketball Coach Frank Haith announced today the hiring of Jim Platt as the program’s Director of Player Development/Team Manager.
Haith also announced the promotions of Dennis Felton to assistant head coach and Toby Lane to director of scouting. Felton has served as an assistant coach for the last two seasons, while Lane has served as video coordinator.
Platt returns to Tulsa, where he served as an assistant coach from 1995-97, helping lead the Golden Hurricane to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He spent the last four years as an assistant coach at Saint Louis University.
“Jim is a first class individual, and will bring a lot of positives to the program, particularly in terms of his experience,” Haith said. “He’s been a head coach and run his own program. He is very genuine and relationship-oriented. The players will love him. He will be passionate about our players’ personal success, investing in each player as people and students. Jim knows Tulsa. He knows the passion and the tradition around the basketball program and the university, and has experienced success here. He will be a great fit for us.”
“We had such a great, positive experience at the University of Tulsa, and the opportunity for me to come back at this point in time is really special,” Platt said. “I’m very thankful for Frank to give me this opportunity. Tulsa epitomizes, to me, the best of a college opportunity. It is an opportunity to attend a smaller private school, earn an excellent education in a private, personal environment with great academic attention, and then combine that with the opportunity to play at a very high level of basketball at a program that has been traditionally successful. I love the fact that Frank has not only been successful as a college basketball coach, but he is experienced, and I think he has a great way about himself personally and professionally. It is a great fit for me. Tulsa is not just another place for me, but we have invested here, and feel that it’s a special place for us. I have a son, Jeff, who is a TU graduate. The chance for me to come back and be a part of Golden Hurricane basketball at this point in time is something that I’m very thankful for, and really excited about.”
Amid Platt’s 35-year career in Division basketball coaching, he has reached the NCAA Tournament 12 times, and spent nine years as a head coach, including four years at Arkansas-Little Rock (1990-94) and five years at Charleston Southern (2000-05). In nine years as a head coach, Platt compiled a 111-140 record, and earned 2001 Big South Conference Coach of the Year honors.
While at Saint Louis (2012-16), Platt helped the Billikens win three Atlantic 10 Conference championships – the 2013 and 2014 regular season, and 2013 tournament titles – and make two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Prior to his stint at Saint Louis, Platt was Director of Basketball Operations at Liberty University in 2011-12, assistant coach at Bradley in 2010-11, and served as an assistant coach at Army from 2005-10.
After his two-year term at Tulsa under head coach Steve Robinson, Platt coached with Robinson at Florida State from 1997-00, helping the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament in 1998.
Platt was the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock from 1990-94, posting a 56-59 record in four seasons. He was an assistant coach at DePaul from 1984-90, reaching the postseason every year, including Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1986 and 1987.
Platt began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Illinois State from 1978-84, where he helped the Redbirds to the NCAA Tournament in his final two seasons. A 1973 graduate of Concordia (Ill.) University, Platt is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame following standout playing careers on the basketball and baseball teams.
http://tulsahurricane.com/news/2016/5/2/mens-basketball-jim-platt-returns-to-tulsa-as-director-of-player-development.aspx
Photo Courtesy Tulsa Athletics
