JP Piper
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide
J.P. Piper Head Coach; Baton Rouge, La.; Southeastern Louisiana (1991) Seasons at Nicholls (Record): Sixth (53-93) Season as Head Coach (Record): Sixth (53-93)
J
.P. Piper enters his sixth season at the helm of the Colonel basketball program, having amassed a 53-93 overall record through five seasons.
Piper was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year after he engineered one of the strongest regular seasons in school history in 2008-09, leading the Colonels to a 20-11 record and a 12-4 Southland Conference mark. The 2008-09 season marked the second 20-win campaign since Nicholls moved up to Division I in 1980-81, and the first one since 1994-95. The Colonels produced three Southland Conference postseason honorees in Ryan Bathie (First-Team All-SLC), Anatoly Bose (Third-Team All-SLC) and Fred Hunter (Freshman of the Year). In 2007-08, Piper led Nicholls to a 10-21 record (5-11 SLC) and a fifth place finish in the Southland Conference East Division. Under Piper’s tutelage, the Colonels traveled the country to face some of the toughest competition in the nation in No. 1 North Carolina, Alabama, Florida State and California. In his time at Nicholls, Piper has gained a reputation for playing some of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, dubbed `scheduling insanity’ by ESPN’s Andy Katz prior to the 2006-07 season. CollegeInsider.com named Piper the 2006-07 Southland Conference Coach of the Year for leading the Colonels to victory in five of their last seven SLC match-ups and falling just one point shy of an SLC Tournament berth. Before being named head coach at Nicholls in 2004, Piper served two seasons as the top assistant for the Colonels (2002-04) under the direction of head coach Ricky Blanton. Prior to joining the college ranks, the Baton Rouge, La.-native held the position of head basketball coach at The Dunham School (Baton Rouge, La.) where he guided the Tigers to a Class A State Championship in 1997-98 and the Class A State Runner-Up spot in 1998-99. Piper was named Class A Coach of the Year in 1999 and was selected as head coach of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) East AllStar Team. The 43-year old is married to the former Renee Denson of Baton Rouge. They are the parents of two children, Hayden (12) and Riley (10). Piper and his family reside in Thibodaux.
10
www.GeauxColonels.com
J.P. Piper
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide J.P. Piper: At-A-Glance Coaching Experience Head Coach, Nicholls Ast. Coach, Nicholls Overall Record Southland Conference Record
2004-Present 2002-2004 53-93 30-50
Coaching Awards and Honors 2008-09 Southland Conference Coach of the Year 2006-07 CollegeInsider.com Southland Conference Coach of the Year Southland Conference Award Winners 2008-09 Ryan Bathie (First Team All-SLC) Anatoly Bose (Third Team All-SLC) Fred Hunter (SLC Freshman of the Year) 2007-08 Ryan Bathie (Third Team All-SLC) 2006--07 Stefan Blaszcynski (First Team All-SLC) 2005-06 Stefan Blaszynski (Third Team All-SLC) Louisiana Sports Writers Association Award Winners 2008-09 Ryan Bathie (All-Louisiana First Team) Anatoly Bose (All-Louisiana Third Team) Fred Hunter (All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year) 2006-07 Stefan Blasczynski (All-Louisiana First Team)
The Piper Family (L-R): Hayden, Renee, J.P. and Riley Colonel Basketball Non-Conference Destinations Under J.P. Piper (2004-Present) 2004-05: Nov. 21 at Mississippi State Nov. 24 at Auburn Nov. 27 at Michigan State Dec. 11 at Lipscomb Dec. 13 at Ole Miss Dec. 29 at Jackson State 2005-06: Nov. 18 at Indiana Nov. 21 at LSU Nov. 23 at Penn State Nov. 25 at Md.-Eastern Shore Nov. 27 at Maryland Dec. 10 at North Texas Dec. 15 at Ole Miss 2006-07: Nov. 11 at Mississippi State Nov. 12 vs. Northern Iowa* Nov. 13 at Washington* Nov. 14 vs. Pepperdine* Nov. 17 at LSU Nov. 21 at Texas
Nov. 24 at Ole Miss Nov. 28 at Auburn Dec. 2 at Centenary Dec. 12 at Lipscomb Dec. 14 at Vanderbilt Dec. 28 at UL-Monroe *-Basketball Travelers Classic hosted by University of Washington 2007-08: Nov. 9 at Florida State Nov. 16 at Tulane Nov. 19 at California Nov. 21 at UC Davis Nov. 24 at Saint Mary’s Nov. 28 at LSU Dec. 1 at New Orleans Dec. 8 at Alabama Dec. 19 at No. 1 UNC Dec. 28 vs. Minnesota^ Dec. 29 at UNLV^ Dec. 30 at Kennesaw State^ May 20 at Kilsath Cobras~ May 21 at Australian Under 20
National Team ~ May 23 at Australia Inst. of Sport~ May 26 at Sutherland Sharks ^-2007 Duel in the Desert hosted by UNLV ~ Offseason Spring Trip: Melbourne, Sydney and Sutherland, Australia 2008-09: Nov. 22 at Tulane Nov. 28 at Illinois State# Nov. 29 vs. UC Santa Barbara# Nov. 30 vs. Winston-Salem St.# Dec. 13 at Southern Dec. 17 at LSU Dec. 22 vs. Mississippi St.% Jan. 3 at Ole Miss #-Basketball Travelers World Vision Classic hosted by Illinois State %-Neutral site game in Jackson, Miss.
2009-10 Nicholls Men’s Basketball
11
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide
Kevin Johnson Assistant Coach; Morgan City, La.; Texas Pan American (1988) Seasons at Nicholls: Third Seasons Coaching: 13th
evin Johnson begins his third season with the Colonels after spending the two previous seasons as an assistant at Louisiana Tech.
K
all record including a 20-13 mark and an 11-5 conference ledger through the 200506 season and an appearance in the postseason NIT Tournament.
Johnson’s main duties include overseeing the Colonels’ on-court defense and organizing Nicholls’ recruiting efforts.
Before taking the job at Louisiana Tech, Johnson served as the head coach at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., for six seasons.
Since arriving in Thibodaux, Johnson was instrumental in the recruitiment of current Colonels Kellan Carter (who finished 2008-09 18th in the nation with a 2.4 steal/game average) and Fred Hunter (the 2008-09 Southland Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Freshman of the Year). In his first two seasons with at Nicholls, Johnson has helped the Colonels to a 3032 record, including a 20-11 mark and a 14-2 Southland Conference record in 200809. Last year’s 20-win season was the first for the Colonels since 1994-95 and just the second since Nicholls moved to Division I in 1980. As the architect of Nicholls’ defense, Johnson oversaw a 2008-09 defensive effort that saw the Colonels lead the Southland Conference in rebounding defense (holding teams to 29.5 RPG) and finishing second in steals (8.7 SPG) and scoring defense (allowing just 60.2 points/game). Last season also saw the Colonel defense develop into one of the strongest units in the nation as Nicholls finished 17th among NCAA Division I teams in steals and 18th in scoring defense. Meanwhile, under Johnson’s tutelage, Carter finished 18th in the nation with 2.4 steals per game and Justin Payne finished his last season ranked 64th in NCAA Division I with 1.9 steals per game. In his time at Louisiana Tech Johnson helped guide the Bulldogs to a 30-33 over12
www.GeauxColonels.com
In those six years, Johnson compiled an overall record of 65-100, including a 5017 mark at home. In 2003-04, Johnson guided the Gents to a second-place finish in the Mid-Continent Conference with a 1612 overall record (10-6 MCC) and a perfect 13-0 mark at home. Prior to assuming his head-coaching role at Centenary, Johnson served as an assistant for the Gents under Billy Kennedy after gaining experience as an assistant at his alma mater, Texas-Pan American.
become the head coach/player for the Oldham Celtics, and in 1992 he led the Celtics to a league championship with a 25-1 record. Johnson also averaged 33.0 points per game in Oldham’s championship run. In 1993, Johnson returned to the States to become an assistant coach at Bryan High School in Bryan, Texas and rejoined the college ranks in 1996 as an assistant at Texas-Pan American. Johnson is a native of Morgan City, La., and prepped at Morgan City High School. He has two brothers in Rodney and Dave III - an All-American at Syracuse and a firstround NBA draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers in 1992. Johnson is the proud father of his daughter Ceara Brinelle, who will turn eight during the season.
As a student-athlete at Texas-Pan American, Johnson compiled 1,156 career points, which ranks 13th all-time in the Broncos record books. His senior campaign was his most notable statistical season as Johnson averaged 16.1 points per game, had a field-goal percentage of .492 and a stellar .574 conversion rate from three-point range. His three-point field-goal percentage led the All-American South Conference and ranked seventh in the country. Johnson was named to the All-American South First Team in 1988 for his efforts. Following his distinguished career at Texas-Pan American, Johnson headed overseas to England where he played for the Liecester Riders. He spent one season with the Riders before accepting an assistant coaching position at Northwestern State in 1989. In 1990, Johnson returned to England to
Kevin Johnson
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide
Billy Begley Assistant Coach; Henderson, Ky.; Mississippi State (2007) Season at Nicholls: First Season Coaching: First
B
illy Begley begins his first season as a member of the Nicholls State University men’s basketball coaching staff. The Henderson, Ky. native comes to Thibodaux from Mississippi State where he was a part of consecutive Southeastern Conference West Division Regular Season Championship teams.
As a player, Begley earned four letters in basketball in his career with the Bulldogs and helped Mississippi State to SEC West titles in 2006-07 and 2007-08 as well as a second round NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. As a freshman, Begley helped the Bulldogs to a 2003-04 SEC regular season championship and a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Begley earned his bachelor’s degree with cum laude honors in 2007 and wrapped up his time in Starkville by completing his MBA while working with the Bulldog coaching staff in a support capacity. Begley is just one of four MSU basketball players to be named to the SEC honor roll in all four seasons as a player.
Andrew Kearney Assistant Coach; Stanton, Mich.; Lake Superior State (2007) Season at Nicholls: First Season Coaching: Second
A
ndrew Kearney enters his first season as a member of the Nicholls State University men’s basketball coaching staff after one season as an assistant coach at Campbellsville University of the NAIA.
In his first season in the college coaching ranks, Kearney led Cmapbellsville’s midwest region recruiting efforts and oversaw the development of the program’s guards while also monitoring the team’s academic efforts. Kearney earnd four letters in basketball at Lake Superior State of the NCAA Division II. During his senior season of 2006-07, Kearney served as team captain and led a Lakers team that doubled its conference win total from the previous season. The Stanton, Mich. native led Central Montcalm High School to a pair of CSAA league championships, was a third-team all-state honoree as a senior and was a two-time first team all-conference selection.
2009-10 Nicholls Men’s Basketball
13
J.P. Piper Head Coach; Baton Rouge, La.; Southeastern Louisiana (1991) Seasons at Nicholls (Record): Sixth (53-93) Season as Head Coach (Record): Sixth (53-93)
J
.P. Piper enters his sixth season at the helm of the Colonel basketball program, having amassed a 53-93 overall record through five seasons.
Piper was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year after he engineered one of the strongest regular seasons in school history in 2008-09, leading the Colonels to a 20-11 record and a 12-4 Southland Conference mark. The 2008-09 season marked the second 20-win campaign since Nicholls moved up to Division I in 1980-81, and the first one since 1994-95. The Colonels produced three Southland Conference postseason honorees in Ryan Bathie (First-Team All-SLC), Anatoly Bose (Third-Team All-SLC) and Fred Hunter (Freshman of the Year). In 2007-08, Piper led Nicholls to a 10-21 record (5-11 SLC) and a fifth place finish in the Southland Conference East Division. Under Piper’s tutelage, the Colonels traveled the country to face some of the toughest competition in the nation in No. 1 North Carolina, Alabama, Florida State and California. In his time at Nicholls, Piper has gained a reputation for playing some of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, dubbed `scheduling insanity’ by ESPN’s Andy Katz prior to the 2006-07 season. CollegeInsider.com named Piper the 2006-07 Southland Conference Coach of the Year for leading the Colonels to victory in five of their last seven SLC match-ups and falling just one point shy of an SLC Tournament berth. Before being named head coach at Nicholls in 2004, Piper served two seasons as the top assistant for the Colonels (2002-04) under the direction of head coach Ricky Blanton. Prior to joining the college ranks, the Baton Rouge, La.-native held the position of head basketball coach at The Dunham School (Baton Rouge, La.) where he guided the Tigers to a Class A State Championship in 1997-98 and the Class A State Runner-Up spot in 1998-99. Piper was named Class A Coach of the Year in 1999 and was selected as head coach of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) East AllStar Team. The 43-year old is married to the former Renee Denson of Baton Rouge. They are the parents of two children, Hayden (12) and Riley (10). Piper and his family reside in Thibodaux.
10
www.GeauxColonels.com
J.P. Piper
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide J.P. Piper: At-A-Glance Coaching Experience Head Coach, Nicholls Ast. Coach, Nicholls Overall Record Southland Conference Record
2004-Present 2002-2004 53-93 30-50
Coaching Awards and Honors 2008-09 Southland Conference Coach of the Year 2006-07 CollegeInsider.com Southland Conference Coach of the Year Southland Conference Award Winners 2008-09 Ryan Bathie (First Team All-SLC) Anatoly Bose (Third Team All-SLC) Fred Hunter (SLC Freshman of the Year) 2007-08 Ryan Bathie (Third Team All-SLC) 2006--07 Stefan Blaszcynski (First Team All-SLC) 2005-06 Stefan Blaszynski (Third Team All-SLC) Louisiana Sports Writers Association Award Winners 2008-09 Ryan Bathie (All-Louisiana First Team) Anatoly Bose (All-Louisiana Third Team) Fred Hunter (All-Louisiana Freshman of the Year) 2006-07 Stefan Blasczynski (All-Louisiana First Team)
The Piper Family (L-R): Hayden, Renee, J.P. and Riley Colonel Basketball Non-Conference Destinations Under J.P. Piper (2004-Present) 2004-05: Nov. 21 at Mississippi State Nov. 24 at Auburn Nov. 27 at Michigan State Dec. 11 at Lipscomb Dec. 13 at Ole Miss Dec. 29 at Jackson State 2005-06: Nov. 18 at Indiana Nov. 21 at LSU Nov. 23 at Penn State Nov. 25 at Md.-Eastern Shore Nov. 27 at Maryland Dec. 10 at North Texas Dec. 15 at Ole Miss 2006-07: Nov. 11 at Mississippi State Nov. 12 vs. Northern Iowa* Nov. 13 at Washington* Nov. 14 vs. Pepperdine* Nov. 17 at LSU Nov. 21 at Texas
Nov. 24 at Ole Miss Nov. 28 at Auburn Dec. 2 at Centenary Dec. 12 at Lipscomb Dec. 14 at Vanderbilt Dec. 28 at UL-Monroe *-Basketball Travelers Classic hosted by University of Washington 2007-08: Nov. 9 at Florida State Nov. 16 at Tulane Nov. 19 at California Nov. 21 at UC Davis Nov. 24 at Saint Mary’s Nov. 28 at LSU Dec. 1 at New Orleans Dec. 8 at Alabama Dec. 19 at No. 1 UNC Dec. 28 vs. Minnesota^ Dec. 29 at UNLV^ Dec. 30 at Kennesaw State^ May 20 at Kilsath Cobras~ May 21 at Australian Under 20
National Team ~ May 23 at Australia Inst. of Sport~ May 26 at Sutherland Sharks ^-2007 Duel in the Desert hosted by UNLV ~ Offseason Spring Trip: Melbourne, Sydney and Sutherland, Australia 2008-09: Nov. 22 at Tulane Nov. 28 at Illinois State# Nov. 29 vs. UC Santa Barbara# Nov. 30 vs. Winston-Salem St.# Dec. 13 at Southern Dec. 17 at LSU Dec. 22 vs. Mississippi St.% Jan. 3 at Ole Miss #-Basketball Travelers World Vision Classic hosted by Illinois State %-Neutral site game in Jackson, Miss.
2009-10 Nicholls Men’s Basketball
11
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide
Kevin Johnson Assistant Coach; Morgan City, La.; Texas Pan American (1988) Seasons at Nicholls: Third Seasons Coaching: 13th
evin Johnson begins his third season with the Colonels after spending the two previous seasons as an assistant at Louisiana Tech.
K
all record including a 20-13 mark and an 11-5 conference ledger through the 200506 season and an appearance in the postseason NIT Tournament.
Johnson’s main duties include overseeing the Colonels’ on-court defense and organizing Nicholls’ recruiting efforts.
Before taking the job at Louisiana Tech, Johnson served as the head coach at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., for six seasons.
Since arriving in Thibodaux, Johnson was instrumental in the recruitiment of current Colonels Kellan Carter (who finished 2008-09 18th in the nation with a 2.4 steal/game average) and Fred Hunter (the 2008-09 Southland Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Freshman of the Year). In his first two seasons with at Nicholls, Johnson has helped the Colonels to a 3032 record, including a 20-11 mark and a 14-2 Southland Conference record in 200809. Last year’s 20-win season was the first for the Colonels since 1994-95 and just the second since Nicholls moved to Division I in 1980. As the architect of Nicholls’ defense, Johnson oversaw a 2008-09 defensive effort that saw the Colonels lead the Southland Conference in rebounding defense (holding teams to 29.5 RPG) and finishing second in steals (8.7 SPG) and scoring defense (allowing just 60.2 points/game). Last season also saw the Colonel defense develop into one of the strongest units in the nation as Nicholls finished 17th among NCAA Division I teams in steals and 18th in scoring defense. Meanwhile, under Johnson’s tutelage, Carter finished 18th in the nation with 2.4 steals per game and Justin Payne finished his last season ranked 64th in NCAA Division I with 1.9 steals per game. In his time at Louisiana Tech Johnson helped guide the Bulldogs to a 30-33 over12
www.GeauxColonels.com
In those six years, Johnson compiled an overall record of 65-100, including a 5017 mark at home. In 2003-04, Johnson guided the Gents to a second-place finish in the Mid-Continent Conference with a 1612 overall record (10-6 MCC) and a perfect 13-0 mark at home. Prior to assuming his head-coaching role at Centenary, Johnson served as an assistant for the Gents under Billy Kennedy after gaining experience as an assistant at his alma mater, Texas-Pan American.
become the head coach/player for the Oldham Celtics, and in 1992 he led the Celtics to a league championship with a 25-1 record. Johnson also averaged 33.0 points per game in Oldham’s championship run. In 1993, Johnson returned to the States to become an assistant coach at Bryan High School in Bryan, Texas and rejoined the college ranks in 1996 as an assistant at Texas-Pan American. Johnson is a native of Morgan City, La., and prepped at Morgan City High School. He has two brothers in Rodney and Dave III - an All-American at Syracuse and a firstround NBA draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers in 1992. Johnson is the proud father of his daughter Ceara Brinelle, who will turn eight during the season.
As a student-athlete at Texas-Pan American, Johnson compiled 1,156 career points, which ranks 13th all-time in the Broncos record books. His senior campaign was his most notable statistical season as Johnson averaged 16.1 points per game, had a field-goal percentage of .492 and a stellar .574 conversion rate from three-point range. His three-point field-goal percentage led the All-American South Conference and ranked seventh in the country. Johnson was named to the All-American South First Team in 1988 for his efforts. Following his distinguished career at Texas-Pan American, Johnson headed overseas to England where he played for the Liecester Riders. He spent one season with the Riders before accepting an assistant coaching position at Northwestern State in 1989. In 1990, Johnson returned to England to
Kevin Johnson
2009-10 Nicholls State University Men’s Basketball Media Guide
Billy Begley Assistant Coach; Henderson, Ky.; Mississippi State (2007) Season at Nicholls: First Season Coaching: First
B
illy Begley begins his first season as a member of the Nicholls State University men’s basketball coaching staff. The Henderson, Ky. native comes to Thibodaux from Mississippi State where he was a part of consecutive Southeastern Conference West Division Regular Season Championship teams.
As a player, Begley earned four letters in basketball in his career with the Bulldogs and helped Mississippi State to SEC West titles in 2006-07 and 2007-08 as well as a second round NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. As a freshman, Begley helped the Bulldogs to a 2003-04 SEC regular season championship and a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Begley earned his bachelor’s degree with cum laude honors in 2007 and wrapped up his time in Starkville by completing his MBA while working with the Bulldog coaching staff in a support capacity. Begley is just one of four MSU basketball players to be named to the SEC honor roll in all four seasons as a player.
Andrew Kearney Assistant Coach; Stanton, Mich.; Lake Superior State (2007) Season at Nicholls: First Season Coaching: Second
A
ndrew Kearney enters his first season as a member of the Nicholls State University men’s basketball coaching staff after one season as an assistant coach at Campbellsville University of the NAIA.
In his first season in the college coaching ranks, Kearney led Cmapbellsville’s midwest region recruiting efforts and oversaw the development of the program’s guards while also monitoring the team’s academic efforts. Kearney earnd four letters in basketball at Lake Superior State of the NCAA Division II. During his senior season of 2006-07, Kearney served as team captain and led a Lakers team that doubled its conference win total from the previous season. The Stanton, Mich. native led Central Montcalm High School to a pair of CSAA league championships, was a third-team all-state honoree as a senior and was a two-time first team all-conference selection.
2009-10 Nicholls Men’s Basketball
13
