Little Rock head men’s basketball coach Darrell Walker today announced the hiring of Preston Laird as an assistant coach for the Trojan basketball program.
“I’m very excited about bringing Preston to Little Rock and have him help develop our players,” Walker said. “He has been at a number of successful programs, working with some well-respected coaches, and he will be a good fit with what we’re trying to build here.”
Laird comes to Little Rock after spending the past three seasons at UNLV, joining the Rebels prior to the 2016-17 season as a program’s director of basketball operations. He was promoted to an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season after being part of the UNLV staff that won 20 games in 2017-18.
Following the 2016-17 season, Laird was named to the 2017 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team. The team, announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), recognizes up-and-coming young coaches in men’s college basketball.
Before his time in Las Vegas, Laird spent four seasons at New Mexico State, working with head coach Marvin Menzies before following him to UNLV. Serving in a number of positions, Laird played a role in helping the Aggies to four-straight postseason appearances and a pair of WAC regular season titles.
During his four years in Las Cruces, Laird was a member of the New Mexico State staff that made three-straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2013-15, posting an overall record of 97-43 and going 52-10 in conference play during that span. In his role with the Aggies, Laird assisted with basketball operations while also assisting the program in off-court player development and academics.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Laird played four seasons at the University of Memphis from 2008-12. He walked on to the team and helped the Tigers reach the Sweet 16 in 2009 under head coach John Calipari, eventually earning a full scholarship and serving as team captain while helping Memphis make three NCAA tournament appearances during his career.
Laird earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Memphis in 2012 before attaining his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State in 2014.
https://lrtrojans.com/news/2019/7/8/preston-laird-joins-trojan-mens-basketball-staff.aspx
