SIU Announces Wright State's Scott Nagy as SIU Basketball's Next Head Coach
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University has confirmed and announced Scott Nagy as the new head coach for the SIU Men's Basketball Team.
Nagy comes to Carbondale with a career record of 577-332 after head coach positions at Wright State and South Dakota State. Nagy also ranks No. 18 overall with wins in comparison to active Division 1 head coaches.
"I'm extremely excited to welcome Coach Nagy to Saluki Nation," Leonard said. "His record speaks for itself. He is a winner in every sense of the word and will be a perfect fit for our program, the campus community and the region."
Scott Nagy was named the ninth head coach for Wright State in the Horizon League, winning coach of the year three times from 2018 through 2020.
Nagy also won 20-plus games his first four seasons as head coach.
Nagy was also with South Dakota State from 1995 through the 2015-2016 year.
SIU picks Nagy as Mullins’ replacement | Latest Headlines | thesouthern.com
SIU picks Nagy as Mullins’ replacement
CARBONDALE — Wright State University head coach Scott Nagy is Southern Illinois University’s choice to lead its men’s basketball program it was formally announced Thursday.
SIU Athletic Director Tim Leonard interviewed multiple candidates for the job the last three weeks before finally making the decision to go with a more experienced D-1 head coach in Nagy.
As was the case five years ago, former John A. Logan College head coach and current University of Missouri assistant coach, Kyle Smithpeters, was one of the finalists for the job.
Nagy, 57, replaces Bryan Mullins, who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at DePaul.
{span}”I’m extremely excited to welcome Coach Nagy to Saluki Nation,” Leonard said. “His record speaks for itself. He is a winner in every sense of the word and will be a perfect fit for our program, the campus community and the region.”{/span}
Nagy put together a 167-91 overall record in seven seasons for the Wright State Raiders, which included two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2018 and 2022), as well as one NIT appearance (2019).
The 2018 team was one and done at the NCAA Tournament, but the 2022 team won its first game over Bryant before falling to Northern Kentucky.
Nagy’s best single-season record at Wright State was the 2019-2020 team that went 25-7. Three different times — 2018, 2019, and 2020 — Nagy was named Horizon League Coach of the Year.
Nagy’s main concern now will be recruiting a Salukis team. No fewer than eight of Southern’s returning players have indicated they either already have or will enter the portal in search of a new team.
Those players include: Troy D’Amico, Scottie Ebube, Clarence Rupert, A.J. Ferguson, Cade Hornecker, Kennard Davis, Jr., Jarrett Hensley, and Trey Miller.
Mullins was dismissed from his position on Friday, March 8.
In his five years at SIU, he won 86 games and lost 68, but Mullins’s teams failed to win a conference championship or conference tournament. The Salukis received no invites into the NCAA tournament. There were also no NIT offers.
Prior to his work at Wright State, Nagy enjoyed great success at South Dakota State, compiling a 410-240 overall record. His Jackrabbit teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times (2012, 2013, and 2016)
