The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday that 16-year coaching veteran Elwyn McRoy is now an assistant coach for the Broncs men’s basketball team.
At the NCAA Division I level, McRoy has been an assistant coach at Iowa State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern and Southern University. He has received national recognition for his work, as CollegeInsider.com named him the No. 23 mid-major assistant coach in 2009, and Basketball Times Magazine selected him as one of the top 10 junior college recruiters in the country in 2008.
“Being able to join [Broncs head] coach [Dan] Hipsher, I think it’s going to be a tremendous asset for me, getting to learn from one of the best coaches in the business,” McRoy said. “To have a chance to be down here at UTPA, I think it’s a gold mine. I love jobs like this, where you can come and it’s really kind of been untapped from a talent standpoint and also in the community. I’m definitely looking forward to both aspects of it. I think they have great leadership here. I think this is a program that is headed in the right direction.”
McRoy has a great degree of familiarity with the junior college ranks, as he started his career with two years as an assistant coach at Butler Community College from 1997-99.
After one year as an assistant coach at Independence Community College, McRoy assisted with the boys’ basketball team at Wichita Southeast High School before returning to the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach at Redlands Community College, where he helped the team to a program-best 30-5 record and a national championship.
He then spent the 2002-03 season as the head coach at Frank Phillips College, where his team had the third-highest GPA in the nation, before joining the Division I ranks as an assistant coach at Southern. After two seasons there, McRoy went to Northwood University and spent an entire year recruiting and helping the program to get ready for its first season of competition before moving on the Georgia Southern. There, McRoy helped turn a sub-.500 team into a 20-win team in one year.
He moved on to Arkansas State from 2008-10, where he not only helped the Red Wolves go from 13 wins to 17 wins in his second season, but he also helped them go from five Sun Belt Conference wins to 11.
McRoy next became an assistant coach at Iowa State in 2010-11, where he recruited Tyrus McGee, who drilled 96 3-pointers in 2012-13, the third most in a season in program history, to become the first Cyclone individual to lead the nation in a statistical category by connecting on 46.4 percent (96-for-207) of his shots from downtown. McGee ended his career by making 43.7 percent of his three-point attempts, the second-best clip in program history.
McRoy returned to the junior college ranks in 2011-12 as an assistant coach at Hutchinson Community College, where he helped the Blue Dragons to a 25-7 record, a No. 20 ranking and the Region VI Quarterfinals, before spending last season an assistant at Stillman College, where the Tigers went 18-10.
McRoy was influential in the development of Stephen Jackson, a 13-year NBA veteran most recently of the San Antonio Spurs, Lee Nailon, who played in the NBA for nine seasons, most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005-06, and 2004-05 Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray (Oklahoma).
“I have been familiar with Elwyn since he was a point guard at Cleveland State competing against my Akron teams in the mid 1990’s. Elwyn was a cerebral player and has continued to grow his basketball IQ under some fine mentors,” Hipsher said. “He is an experienced and proven recruiter with extensive contacts throughout the country in both junior colleges and high schools. We are thankful he is now a part of Bronc Basketball.”
McRoy enjoyed a solid player career, competing for one season at Butler Community College before transferring to Hutchinson Community College for his sophomore year, where he helped the Blue Dragons win the 1994 NJCAA National Championship. He finished his collegiate career at Cleveland State, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1995.
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