Tusculum Men's Basketball Coaching Staff

Head Coach Jim Boone | Assistant Coach Mike McBride

JIM BOONE (email: jboone@tusculum.edu)
Head Coach

What They're Saying About Coach Boone | Coach Boone Year-By-Year

Coach Jim BooneJim Boone is entering his fourth season as the head men's basketball coach at Tusculum College.

Boone has over quarter of a century of collegiate coaching experience, including the last 22 years as a head coach. He has recorded 363 victories, including 268 wins at the NCAA Division II level. His 363 wins are currently ranked 37th in NCAA II history. In his first year in Greeneville, he guided the Pioneers to a 14-15 record, including the program's third trip to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament semifinal in four years.

In his three seasons at Tusculum, Boone has mentored four All-South Atlantic Conference selections, including Chris Poore, who was the recipient of the prestigious SAC Scholar Athlete for Men's Basketball Award in 2006-07.

His 228-71 record at the California University of Pennsylvania gave Boone a .763 winning percentage, which at the time was the second best success rate of active Division II coaches.

In his 10 seasons at California, Boone led the Vulcans to seven postseason appearances. California advanced to six NCAA Tournaments, posting an impressive 12-4 record, including a pair of NCAA Final Four appearances.

His 1992 team went 31-2 and was the No. 1 ranked team in the final NCAA II poll. That squad captured the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship and moved onto the first of two NCAA Final Fours.

Boone, a native of Winfield, W.Va., spent five seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division I Eastern Michigan University where he compiled a 48-96 mark. His squads continued to make progress each year during his tenure, including the Eagles 14-14 mark in 2002-03 an eight-win improvement from the season before.

Prior to working at EMU, he served four years as the head coach at Robert Morris University. He built the Colonials into a winner following seasons of 4-23 and 8-19, as he guided Robert Morris to a 15-12 mark in 1998-99 and 18-12 in 1999-00. That 2000 squad advanced to the NEC Championship Game and came up one step shy of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

During his career, his teams have recorded 17 or more wins on 12 occasions, including six conference championships, four tournament titles, seven post season appearances.

From 1990-96, his California teams recorded over 20 victories for six consecutive years tallying an impressive 150-33 mark during that span. His 94-24 league record in the PSAC is still the best of any coach in that conference's history.

He has been named PSAC Coach of the Year on three occasions (1988, 1992, 1996) and NCAA Region Coach Year twice (1992, 1996).

In 2005, Boone was inducted to the California University of Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Boone played his collegiate basketball at West Virginia State College where he was a four-year letterman. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Accounting from WVSC in 1981 and followed that with a MBA from the University of Kentucky in 1982 with a concentration in Marketing.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater where he served as the head assistant coach from 1982-85. Boone spent one season as the head assistant coach at Charleston Southern University as the Buccaneers won the 1986 Big South Conference Championship.

He is married to the former Stephanie VanVranken and they are the parents of two sons, Jimmy, 19 and Joey, 17. Jimmy will be entering his junior season on the Pioneer basketball team in 2008-09.


What They're Saying About Coach Boone:

"Jim Boone is an outstanding person and coach. Someone will be very fortunate to have Coach Boone run their program. With over 300 wins, Jim is someone of courage, ability and a tremendous leader."

Mike Krzyzewski
Head Coach
Duke University
2008 United States Olympic Team

"Coach Boone has established himself in the coaching community as one of the nation's premier teachers. I have tremendous respect for Coach Boone. He is an outstanding basketball coach, and his basketball programs are synonymous with excellence."

Herb Sendek
Head Coach
Arizona State University

"Basketball, as it is taught by Coach Boone, is a formula for success. Jim Boone does not just teach basketball, he teaches life lessons. He has developed a philosophy that exceeds the boundaries of offense and defense. Jim's programs have been yearly one of the nation's most successful on any level, and the primary reason, is because he brings an overriding purpose to everything he does. 'Commitment to Excellence,' is the credo that Jim has used to oversee the values and principles that govern his teams."

Dale Brown
Former Head Coach
Louisiana State University

“Coach Boone’s knowledge of Motion Offense and his ability to teach it effectively is unparalleled. His teams are always fundamentally sound, extremely well coached and very, very good offensively.”

Don Meyer
Head Coach
Northern State University

“No one, and I mean no one else does a better job of preparation, putting together a game plan, and then executing it than Coach Booone does with his teams. They were always the most prepared team we faced.”

Tim Buckley
Head Coach
Ball State University

Coach Jim Boone Year-By-Year

Year

School

Record

Highlights

1986-87

California (Pa.)

17-12

PSAC West Champions/PSAC Runner-Up

1987-88

California (Pa.)

25-6

PSAC Champion/NCAA Region Finals

1988-89

California (Pa.)

18-10

None

1989-90

California (Pa.)

18-10

ECAC Tournament

1990-91

California (Pa.)

21-7

PSAC West Champions/PSAC Tournament

1991-92

California (Pa.)

31-2

PSAC Champion/NCAA Final Four

1992-93

California (Pa.)

23-6

PSAC West Champions/PSAC Runner-Up/NCAA

1993-94

California (Pa.)

25-5

PSAC Champion/NCAA East Region Finals

1994-95

California (Pa.)

23-7

PSAC Runner-Up/NCAA East Region Finals

1995-96

California (Pa.)

27-6

PSAC Champion/NCAA Final Four

1996-97

Robert Morris

4-23

NEC Tournament

1997-98

Robert Morris

8-19

NEC Tournament Quarterfinal

1998-99

Robert Morris

15-12

NEC Tournament Quarterfinal

1999-00

Robert Morris

18-12

NEC Championship Game

2000-01

Eastern Michigan

3-25

MAC Tournament

2001-02

Eastern Michigan

6-24

MAC Tournament

2002-03

Eastern Michigan

14-14

MAC Tournament

2003-04

Eastern Michigan

13-15

MAC Tournament

2004-05

Eastern Michigan

12-18

MAC Tournament

2005-06 Tusculum 14-15 SAC Tournament Semifinal
2006-07 Tusculum 13-15 SAC Tournament Quarterfinal
2007-08 Tusculum 13-15 SAC Tournament Quarterfinal
22-year Head Coaching Record: 361-278 (.570)
13-year NCAA Division II Record: 265-116 (.714)