I mentioned this move earlier this week in the DAILY DIRT – it’s now official. Here’s the statement from Jacksonville State announcing the hiring of Rusty Elmore as an assistant basketball coach:
Rusty Elmore joins the Jax State Men’s Basketball staff as an assistant coach under head coach Ray Harper.
Elmore most recently served as an assistant coach at New Mexico State this past season. Elmore helped the Aggies to a 17-15 overall record, including a 10-8 record in CUSA play, tied for the fourth best mark of any team in the league. Prior to his time as an assistant at New Mexico State, Elmore served as the head coach at Garden City Community College.
In his final season with Garden City, Elmore led the Broncbusters to a 19-13 record before falling in the Regional Quarterfinals in a tough one-point overtime loss. He had front-runner Brody Robinson elected as the Jayhawk conference Newcomer of the year and All-Jayhawk first team member after averaging 20 points per game. He also had Thomas Tut and Braxton Jones to make the All-Jayhawk second team for their performances.
During the 22-23 season with Garden City, Elmore’s team finished the season ranked 23rd in the country with a 21-9 record, with Buru Naivalurua earning All American. DaJion Humphrey, Jaborri McGhee and Naivalurua each earned All-Conference. From Elmore’s 22-23 team, five players moved on to sign with D1 schools.
Elmore came to Garden City after a tremendous three-year run with Colby where he produced a 49-30 overall record. In 2020, the team finished 27-5, captured the program’s first regular-season title, and won the Region VI crown for the first time ever. The Trojans finished No. 10 in the final NJCAA poll in 2020 and Elmore was named the Jayhawk West Coach of the year. Elmore helped guard Demarcus Sharp to be named an All-American and conference Player of the Year.
Before arriving in Colby, Elmore spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Moberly Area Community College where the Greyhounds compiled a 54-12 record and qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament in 2019. Prior to that, he was an assistant at powerhouse Vincennes University where in his lone season on the bench, the Trailblazers went 32-3 and finished fifth in the final NJCAA poll.
Elmore began his coaching career at Lindsey Wilson College in 2010 helping the Blue Raiders qualify for the National Tournament twice. In 2013, Lindsey Wilson finished second in the nation in the final NAIA poll. In 2014, he was hired at Union College where the Bulldogs won a program-best 30 games en route to claiming the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
He also spent time at NCAA Division-II Kentucky Wesleyan where his team was ranked as high as No. 9 in the country and won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference’s regular-season and tournament crowns.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in athletic administration from Western Kentucky. He moves to Jacksonville with his wife, Katie and their two daughters: Elise and Nora.
Elmore joins Associate Head Coach Dennan Morrow and Assistant Coaches Kevin Jones and Patrick Moynihan to round out the coaching staff.
Last season, Jax State posted 23 wins and made the first NIT appearance in program history. The Gamecocks also made an appearance in the Conference USA Championship game.
