Tae Norwood has been named the Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach, taking over for Mike Ruane who became the head coach at D2 Franklin Pierce earlier this summer.
Tae Norwood, who boosts an overall head coaching record of 51-42, had this to say about being named the Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach: “I am extremely excited to join the Palm Beach State College community. This basketball program is rooted with such great tradition and pride, so this is a humbling experience. I look forward to mentoring the young men who will represent Palm Beach State College proudly on the court, in the classroom, and in our community. I feel blessed and fortunate to be the head coach here and I’m excited to get to work with our guys and help them grow as men. I would like to thank President Parker, Vice President Barbatis, Athletic Director John Scarpino, and Assistant AD Mike Yousefian for affording me this tremendous opportunity.”
Norwood spent three season as the head men’s basketball coach at Cal Poly Humboldt. He went a combined 28-36, taking over a program that was 9-18 the previous season. The men’s basketball team posted their highest term grade point average in ten years. He lead Cal Poly Humboldt to their 1st conference tournament appearance in 4 years during the 22-23 season when they finished 4th out of the 12 team CCAA Conference. Three players were All-Conference performers under Norwood.
Norwood earned his first head coaching job in 2019-20 when he took over the program at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Fla. During the 2019-20 season his fast paced style of play led the Seahawks to a 23-8 record, a share of the Conference regular season championship, and a spot in the NAIA Tournament. Keiser had three all-conference selections, including Sun Conference Player of the Year Mark Gordon. Norwood prides himself on ensuring student-athletes earn their degree. In the past ten years, he is proud to say he has been instrumental in achieving over a 95% graduation rate, with multiple academic all conference honorees.
Norwood arrives at Keiser after spending the previous six years at Lynn University, including five as the Associate Head Coach, in which the Fighting Knights advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. In his time with Lynn, he oversaw the development of student-athletes who were recognized with major awards such as; Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference, All-Freshman, NABC Division II All-Star Team, NABC All-Region, and Daktronics All-Region. Following the 2017-18 season, Norwood was named the NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year by Coach Stat.
Norwood has four years of Assistant Coaching experience at the Division 1 level including, Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast (two seasons), and Grambling State. In that time, he assisted with all aspects of the programs including; recruiting, fundraising, player development, scheduling, scouting, travel, and budgeting.
Norwood also has four years of Assistant Coaching experience at the Division II level including, Northern Michigan, Florida Southern, and Bloomsburg.
He began his coaching tenure at Georgia Southern for two seasons before going to Milligan College for a year.
Norwood was a four-year player at Green Mountain College (NAIA) from 1996-2000, leading the team to three conference championships. In that time, he twice boasted All-Conference honors. When he graduated, he was the all-time leader in steals and assists. In 2016, he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.
Norwood graduated with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Services from Green Mountain before obtaining his Master’s degree in Health and Kinesiology with an emphasis in Coaching from Georgia Southern.
https://pbscpanthers.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/releases/20230826j9ze9j
