Joe Esposito (basketball)
Joseph Esposito (born September 21, 1966) is an American basketball coach. He previously served as the special assistant to head men's basketball coach Marvin Menzies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) until the staff was dismissed following the 2018-19 season. Esposito was an assistant head basketball coach at University of Memphis. He was the Director of Basketball Operations / Assistant at the University of Minnesota, and an assistant coach at Texas Tech University. He has been the head coach at The Villages Charter Schools, head coach at Angelo State University, an associate head coach at Tennessee State University and Assumption College.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Special assistant to the head coach |
| Team | UNLV |
| Conference | Mountain West |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 21, 1966 New York, New York |
| Alma mater | Marist College |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1988–1995 | Assumption (assoc. HC) |
| 1995–1998 | Tennessee State (assoc. HC) |
| 1998–2006 | Angelo State |
| 2006–2007 | The Villages Charter HS |
| 2007–2013 | Minnesota (DOBO/assistant) |
| 2013–2016 | Texas Tech (assistant) |
| 2016–2018 | Memphis (assoc. HC) |
| 2018–2019 | UNLV (special assistant to HC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 118–75 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Lone Star (2001) | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Lone Star Coach of the Year (2001, 2004) | |
Head coaching
At Angelo State University, his team recorded 118 wins in seven years[1] and left the school with the highest winning percentage of any coach in the program's history. In 2000-01, the Rams advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in 10 years and the third time in school history. Angelo State won the Lone Star Conference South Division Championship with a 22-8 record, which tied the highest single-season win total in school history. In addition, Esposito was voted LSC South Coach of the Year in 2001.
In 2002, Esposito led the Rams to its fourth consecutive winning season, the first time ASU had posted four straight winning seasons in two decades. In just four seasons, Esposito led the Rams to three of the top five single season win totals in school history and three straight post-season berths. In 2003, ASU posted its fifth consecutive winning season, a mark only matched one other time in the history of the program. He left the program as one of the winningest coaches in Lone Star Conference history.
In his first season at Angelo State in 1999, Esposito posted the best turnaround in Division II by any rookie head coach, improving the Rams' record by seven victories and having the first winning season since 1994. In his second year, he took the Rams to the Lone Star Conference Tournament and a win over nationally ranked Midwestern State. The 2000 team posted a 20-win season, which was the second-best record in school history, surpassed only by Esposito's 2001 team that won 24 games. Esposito resigned in the middle of the 2005-2006 season. [2]
At The Villages Charter High School he helped advance the school to the Class 3A District 7 Final Four.
Assistant coaching
In April 2016, Esposito was hired by Tubby Smith for the third time to be the assistant coach at the University of Memphis. Esposito is recognized as being one of the best recruiters in college basketball. Along with Tubby Smith, Esposito was fired on March 14, 2018 after Penny Hardaway was hired as the new head couple the following week.[3]
In April 2013, Esposito was hired by Tubby Smith as an assistant coach at Texas Tech University in the Big 12.[4] Esposito is reunited with Tubby Smith after six years together at Minnesota. Esposito returned to West Texas where he had coached for almost a decade.
Esposito was hired at the University of Minnesota by Tubby Smith in May 2007 as Director of Basketball Operations. Under Tubby Smith, the Gophers averaged over 20 wins a season and went to 5 post-season tournaments in six years (NCAA & NIT). Minnesota reached the third round against Florida in 2013. After starting 15-1 in Smith's final season at Minnesota and reaching a rank of No. 8.[5]
He also worked under Duane Davis at Theodore Roosevelt High School in New York City.
On June 22, 2018, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels announced that Esposito would join Marvin Menzies as a special assistant to the head coach.[6]
References
- Ward, Randy. "Esposito Headed to Texas Tech". ConchoValleyHomepage.com, April 23, 2013. Retrieved on May 30, 2013.
- http://www.angelosports.com/news/2006/2/1/84563.aspx?path=mbball
- https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/14/tubby-smith-fired-memphis-mens-basketball-head-coach-search
- Magelssen, Tommy. "New Texas Tech men's basketball assistants bring Texas flair to Red Raiders". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, April 30, 2013. Retrieved on May 30, 2013.
- http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9096499/minnesota-gophers-dismiss-tubby-smith-day-ncaa-tourney-ouster. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - http://www.unlvrebels.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062218aaa.html