Clayton State University Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher has named former four-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year Vince Alexander as the seventh head coach of the men’s basketball program.
Alexander joins the Laker family after a two-year stint as an assistant coach for NCAA Division I Rice University.
“We’re excited to welcome coach Alexander to the Laker family,” Erlacher said. “The remarkable success he’s had in the Peach Belt Conference, reputation for recruiting highly talented student-athletes and vision for the future of our basketball program were all extremely impressive to everyone on the committee.
“I would like to thank our search committee for the wonderful job they did during our search. We had an incredible response to our vacancy, and they remained focused on the current needs of our men’s basketball program throughout the entire process. His approach to building a program centered on culture, the importance of accountability and describing himself as a servant leader were all qualities that aligned with our department’s Core Values and service standards.”
We look forward to ushering in a new era of Clayton State men’s basketball under Coach Alexander’s leadership.
Clayton State Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher
Alexander comes to Morrow with 20 years of head coaching experience. The NCAA Division II veteran boasts a 341-250 record and has coached 30 All-Conference players across three institutions.
“I would like to thank Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher, and the committee, for having the confidence in me to be the next head coach at Clayton State University,” Alexander said. “I am looking forward to working with Ryan to continue to build a reputable, nationally recognized program. It will be exciting to work alongside the coaches and staff within the athletics department.”
Prior to Rice, Alexander served as the head men’s basketball coach for Saint Leo University where he won over 50 games in four seasons. In his first season with the Lions, Alexander guided the team to a 19-12 record, the most wins by a head coach in their first season at Saint Leo.
Alexander’s fast style of play saw the Saint Leo offense go from 64.2 points per game in the season prior to 83.4 points and an improved field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
We are excited to welcome Vince Alexander back to the Peach Belt Conference. He’s a proven winner in our league with four regular-season titles, three tournament titles and two trips to the Elite Eight while head coach at USC Aiken. We look forward to seeing him back on the sidelines guiding the Clayton State team.
Peach Belt Conference Commissioner David Brunk
Before joining Saint Leo, Coach Alexander spent 10 seasons (2005-15) at South Carolina-Aiken as the head coach and amassed 196 wins with a .634 winning percentage and six 20-win seasons. Alexander remains the all-time winningest coach in school history.
While at Aiken, Alexander coached 14 All-Conference student-athletes including a pair of PBC Player of the Year recipients in Chris Commons (2008 & 2009) and Re’mon Nelson (2013). In 2014, Alvin Brown was named PBC Defensive Player of the Year while DeVontae Wright earned Tournament MVP honors in the same season.
From 2007-08 to 2013-14, Alexander and USC-Aiken won 168 games, turning around a program that had posted six consecutive losing seasons from 2002-07. During that span, the Pacers collected four PBC Regular Season Championships (’08, ‘12, ’13, ‘14), five conference tournament championship game appearances (’08, ‘09, ’10, ‘13, ’14) and three tournament titles, including back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
“It feels a bit surreal to be back in the Peach Belt Conference, but I am thrilled to return to a conference that has some outstanding programs and amazing coaches. Not only am I familiar with this conference, but I am confident I can guide the Clayton State men’s basketball team to be a competitive contender within the Peach Belt.”
Both seasons culminated with trips to the Elite Eight and, in 2014, the Final Four. Adding to his accolades, Alexander was named the Herbert Greene PBC Coach of the Year in 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He also earned NABC Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
In 2013, he was a finalist for the Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year award.
During the 2007-08 season, Aiken lost in the conference title game to Clayton State 89-87. That game went into three overtimes and was the first and only conference tournament title the Lakers have won.
Alexander began his collegiate head coaching career at Mansfield University, where he led the Mountaineers from 1999-05, posting an 89-74 record. He earned his first 20-win season during the 2003-04 campaign and helped guide the team to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division championship in 2005. Mansfield has not had a 20-win season since Alexander left the program.
After starting 32-45 in his first three seasons, Alexander finished his time in Mansfield with three consecutive winning seasons and a 57-29 record. The Mountaineers would go 24-12 in the PSAC during that time.
Alexander earned his Associate of Arts degree in physical education from Blinn College (Texas) in 1987 and received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and recreation from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1989. He earned All-Conference and All-Region honors at Blinn and served as the team captain for two seasons at Oklahoma Baptist.
