Blacks Take College Basketball Head Coaching Jobs At Portland, Seton Hall, Drexel And Rutgers

Jet, April 23, 2001

Four more Black coaches have been named to lead basketball programs as universities and colleges announce their selections to fill head coaching positions.

Next season, Bruiser Flint will coach at Drexel University, Michael Holton at the University of Portland, Louis Orr at Seton Hall University and Gary Waters at Rutgers University.

Prior to coming to Drexel in Philadelphia, Flint spent 12 years coaching at Massachusetts. He served seven seasons as an assistant coach and five seasons as the university's head coach. Flint, 35, compiled an 86-72 career record before he resigned in March.

"Today begins a new era of Drexel University," athletic director Eric Zillmer said. "After a national search, we are pleased to announce that our new coach has a track record of successful coaching and a commitment to leadership and vision."

Holton goes from being the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at UCLA--who has won 11 national titles--to the top basketball position at the University of Portland in Oregon, which has won 20 games only since 1956.

Holton, 39, began his Division I coaching career as an assistant at Portland for one year (1994-95) then spent five years at UCLA, his alma mater.

He also played four seasons at UCLA, from 1980-83, and spent six seasons in the NBA with teams in Phoenix, Chicago, Portland and Charlotte.

"To come back to Portland is a dream come true," said Holton. "I kind of feel like this is home. This is where I bought my first house; this is where my first child was born."

Orr left Siena College to become the 17th head coach at Seton Hall in South Orange, NJ. His immediate concentration is holding together a team whose players are considering transferring elsewhere after the recent departure of head coach Tommy Amaker, who took the head coaching position at the University of Michigan (JET, April 16).

The 42-year-old Orr played with the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks before he retired in 1988. As a coach, he worked as an assistant at Providence and Syracuse, before posting a 20-11 record as Siena's head coach last season.

Orr promised to help mold the lives and game of his players. "It's a big responsibility, but it's my ministry," Orr said. "It's why God put me here. To whom much is given, much is required, and I've been given a lot."

Waters, 49, begins at Rutgers in New Jersey coming off a successful five-year coaching tenure at Kent State, where he compiled a 92-60 record. His 24 wins last season went down as a school record.

Overall, Waters has 27 years in collegiate coaching and knew this point in his career would come.

"I worked extremely hard to get to this point. I believe that I am here to take this program to another level ... to help young men grow as individuals and as human beings in our society," said Waters.