University of South Alabama men’s basketball head coach Richie Riley announced Friday three staff promotions for the 2019-20 season.
Amorrow Morgan has been named associate head coach, director of operations Tyler Parker will move up to assistant coach, and special assistant to the head coach Mikel Kosich will be the new director of operations. All three just completed their first season at USA.
Last year, the group helped the program to 17 wins, its most since 2012-13, including two victories in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Josh Ajayi and Trhae Mitchell blossomed under Morgan’s tutelage, resulting in both being named to their first all-Sun Belt teams.
Ajayi, a second-team selection, improved his scoring average by 3.5 points and converted 56.0% from the floor to lead the conference. He set new career highs in 3-point percentage (.444), free throws made (130), rebounding average (7.4 rpg), assists (52) and blocks (29).
Mitchell was voted to the third team after almost doubling his scoring output (13.6 ppg) and becoming the second player in school history to record 200 rebounds (257) and 100 assists (122) in the same season. He ranked in the top 10 in the league in five different categories, including second in blocked shots with 71, the fifth-most in USA history.
On the recruiting trail, Morgan has played in integral role in getting the No. 2 class in the Sun Belt by 247Sports.com with signees Tyreke Locure and KK Curry.
This week he attended Next Chair, a prestigious development conference for assistant basketball coaches.
He joined Riley’s staff at Nicholls State before the 2017-18 season after stops at Henderson State (Ark.), Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) and Illinois-Springfield.
Parker will assume all coaching duties, including scouting and recruiting, with an emphasis on developing the Jaguars’ guards.
In his first season at South Alabama, Parker coordinated team travel, ordered team apparel and acted as a liaison for the program with the athletic department. He joined the program after one year as director of operations under Riley at Nicholls State.
Prior to his time in Thibodaux, La., Parker spent two seasons at Shorter (Ga.) as associate head coach – the second of which was highlighted by a 17-12 record led by the Division II National Player of the Year Phil Taylor – and served as the interim head coach over three games, compiling a 2-1 record.
Following a playing career at Faulkner (Ala.), he was an assistant at his alma mater before moving on to Crowley’s Ridge (Ark.).
“Tyler came to Nicholls State on blind faith with one thing in mind. He joined our family to help us win a championship. His sacrifice is something that I will never take for granted or forget. He understands our vision and is wholeheartedly invested in our program. Promoting him to the role of assistant coach was a no brainer. He will not only be an addition as an excellent recruiter but also his ability to relay my beliefs on the court as well.”
Kosich arrived at South Alabama prior to the 2018-19 campaign after spending three years as an assistant men’s basketball coach for NCAA Division III St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Last season Kosich organized the practice calendar, handled meals during road trips and took care of office administrative duties. He will take over the team budget and travel, and athletic department liaison responsibilities from Parker going forward.
At St. Mary’s, he assisted with program operations, travel logistics, opponent scheduling, fundraising, community engagement and financial procurement, to go along with his on-court duties.
Kosich was a student manager at Montana State-Billings and La Salle, and was a letterwinner in tennis at both schools.
“Mikel exemplifies selflessness in this profession. He has worked tirelessly and is deserving of this promotion. His organization, attention to detail and work ethic make him a home run for this position. He devotes every day to our players and our program. I’m thrilled to have him as our director of basketball operations.”
https://usajaguars.com/news/2019/5/17/mens-basketball-releases-staff-changes-for-2019-20.aspx
