Sean Woods Named Head Men's Basketball Coach at MSU

MOREHEAD, Kentucky -- Sean Woods, who has spent time with five Division I men’s basketball programs and led Mississippi Valley State to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, has been named the 13th head coach in Morehead State University history.

Woods will be formally introduced during a press conference on Monday at 2 p.m. ET.   The press conference, which is open to the public, will be held at MSU’s Adron Doran University Center.

“I am very pleased to welcome Sean as the new head men’s basketball coach at Morehead State University,” said Dr. Wayne D. Andrews, MSU president. "I believe that Coach Woods' experience, character and integrity will help us continue the momentum that our basketball program has achieved in recent years. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding leader for our young men.”

“We are very excited to add Sean and his family to the Morehead State athletics family,” said Brian Hutchinson, MSU director of athletics. “Sean is a strong leader and tireless worker. We were impressed with his energy, character, vision and professionalism throughout the interview process.”

Woods led Mississippi Valley State to 50 overall wins and 44 Southwestern Athletic Conference victories the past four years. The 2011-12 Delta Devils finished 21-13 overall, 17-1 in the SWAC, won the conference tournament and advanced to the school’s fifth-ever NCAA Tournament.

MVSU improved by 14 overall wins and 10 conference victories from his first season to his fourth. Woods was recognized as the 2011-12 SWAC Coach of the Year and earned the prestigious Ben Jobe Award, which honors the top minority coach in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball.

Prior to accepting the head job in Itta Bena, Miss., Woods spent time on the coaching staffs at TCU (2006-08), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2005-06) and High Point (2003-05).

Woods may be best known as one of the “Unforgettables” from Kentucky’s 1992 East Regional final team. He scored 21 points against Duke in one of the NCAA Tournament’s most memorable games, but Christian Laettner’s buzzer beater gave the Blue Devils a 104-103 overtime win over the Wildcats.

Woods, a UK Athletic Hall of Famer, played in 91 games for the Wildcats from 1989-92. He was coached by Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Herb Sendek and Billy Donovan at Kentucky. Pitino, Smith and Donovan all have won national championships as head coaches.

“Sean has an impressive background, ties to the state of Kentucky and has been around some of the top coaches in the game,” Hutchinson added. “Our men’s basketball program has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years, and we look forward to keeping the bar high with Sean at the helm.”

Woods succeeds Donnie Tyndall, who accepted the head job at Southern Mississippi in late April.

Morehead State has enjoyed a postseason berth in three of the past four seasons. The Eagles have won 102 games the past five years, including a 2011 upset of Louisville in the NCAA Tournament.

COURTESY MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS