Saluki Coach Scott Nagy

Proven Winner in Carbondale

(St. Louis, MO) – New Saluki coach Scott Nagy is a proven winner and a builder of long term success. After years of building South Dakota State and Wright State into perennial powers in their conferences he has arrived in Carbondale to do the same thing in the Missouri Valley Conference.

When Southern Illinois went looking for a replacement for Bryan Mullins, they landed on Nagy almost by mistake. Director of Athletics Tim Leonard was speaking with Nagy about another candidate and realized he was interested in Nagy. An agent he had been speaking to about other candidates also happened to be Nagy’s agent, and the process sped up quickly.

Nagy wasn’t looking for a job, but when Leonard realized he had found the coach he wanted, things moved quickly. Saluki coach Scott Nagy made the hard decision to leave a place he loves to come ‘home’ to Illinois and to a city and region that loves college hoops.

The 57-year-old Nagy posted an outstanding winning percentage during South Dakota State’s Division 2 era of basketball. As the Jackrabbits transitioned to Division 1 Nagy says he had to learn how to coach. After six losing D1 seasons, his teams began to be Summit League powers.

During his last six seasons in Brookings, South Dakota his teams won nearly 70% of their games (140-62) and three conference crowns. Three of those teams went to the NCAA Tournament.

But it was during those early losing days that Nagy learned valuable ‘life balance’ lessons.

While winning nearly 65% of his games at Wright State, Nagy helped the Raiders’s to two NCAA Tournaments and three league titles. Saluki coach Scott Nagy is a proven winner.

Saluki Coach Scott Nagy – Philosophy

Nagy has been a winner and wants to be a winner. Defining ‘winning’ takes on several forms for this coach who is closing in on 600 collegiate coaching victories. The architect of nine, D1, twenty-win seasons knows his role is more than amassing victories.

He wants to impact his players in a way that will prepare them for life after basketball. Nagy realizes their lives will change very quickly once basketball careers end.

Nagy’s teams are some of the most explosive in college basketball. Their offensive numbers jump off the page. The Raiders’ numbers remind us of those posted by Valley member Indiana State. They were fourth nationally (86.5 ppg) in scoring (two spots higher than the Sycamores), second to Indiana State in effective field goal percentage (.586), first in field goal percentage (.5303) and ninth in three-point percentage.

Ironically, Nagy builds his teams around recruiting talented offensive players and turning them into great defensive players. He spends almost all of his time on coaching defense.

Building a Staff, Roster and Schedule

His coaching staff is mostly set. Nagy is excited about his new coaching staff. He has retained Jerrance Howard from Mullins’ staff, brought one coach with him from Wright State and some newcomers. Nagy says Howard is an outstanding recruiter and provides some needed continuity, but says the veteran of some high major staffs, is a great relationship builder.

Tae Gibbs worked with Nagy at Wright State. He was the director of player development and Nagy says he has the video resources and notes from last year’s Raider team that will help the coaching staff and players learn what Nagy wants to achieve.

Nagy was careful not to hinder his replacement Clint Sargent at Wright by bringing more staff members or players with him to Carbondale.

Will Veasley was a four-year player and Butler and has had several coaching stops, including the past three seasons at Illinois Chicago. Darreon Reddick comes from Brian Barone’s staff at SIUE and is a Belleville, Illinois native and who played collegiately at Tennessee State. Justin Endsley was retained as the director of operations.

While the NCAA’s ‘dead period’ for recruiting has come to a close, Nagy and his staff will hit the ground running. Like many teams with new coaching staffs the Salukis are in need of virtually an entirely new roster.

The ‘portal pandemic’ makes this both easier and more difficult. Nagy says he and his staff must embrace the ‘new normal’.

With Howard on board, could players like Kennard Davis or A.J. Ferguson return?

Saluki coach Scott Nagy and his staff have their work cut out for them, but these are proven winners, so we expect good things for SIU.

Head to YouTube to watch our entire interview and for an audio version including our interview the new Drake coach Ben McCollum go to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.

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Editor: Cover photo courtesy of siusalukis.com.