2004-05 Men's Basketball Prospectus - Buffalo Athletics - University ...

2004-05 Buffalo Bulls Men’s Basketball
Reggie Witherspoon enters his sixth season as head coach of the University at Buffalo men’s
basketball program.
A native Buffalonian, Witherspoon was officially named head men’s basketball coach at the
University at Buffalo on March 10, 2000 after guiding the Bulls through the remainder of the 1999-
2000 season as the interim head coach. He became the 11th head coach in Bulls’ basketball
history and the third since Buffalo returned to Division I play in the 1991-92 season.
Witherspoon was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year and collegeinsider.com
Mid-Major Coach of the Year following the 2003-04 season. He guided the Bulls to a 17-12 overall
record and an 11-7 conference mark, their best effort since joining the MAC in 1998. Buffalo won
12 of its final 15 games of the season, beating their opponents by an average of 14.2 points. The
12-win improvement from the previous season was the second best turnaround in the nation in
2003-04. He led UB to its first ever home playoff game in the opening round of the MAC Tournament
and, after defeating Northern Illinois, led the Bulls to Cleveland for the quarterfinal round for the first time in school history.
In 2002-03, Witherspoon guided a very young UB squad to a 5-23 mark. With freshmen and sophomores playing over 80
percent of the minutes, the Bulls proved to be competitive in nearly every game as they lost 13 games by 10 points or less.
In 2001-02, Witherspoon led the Bulls to a 12-18 mark. The Bulls’ eight-win improvement from the previous season was the
sixth- highest among Division I teams. Witherspoon’s biggest win of the season occurred on January 9, 2002 when the Bulls
knocked off Kent State, 66-65. It was the Golden Flashes’ only loss in the MAC and their last loss for before falling to Indiana in the
Regional Finals of the NCAA Tournament.
The 2000-01 season saw Witherspoon guide the Bulls to a 4-24 record and their second MAC Tournament appearance. However,
the record was not reflective on the strides the program made as they dropped 12 regular season games by 10 points or less,
the second most in the country to American University’s 13. Included in that list were seven of Buffalo’s first nine games and four
overtime games.
During his period as interim coach, which began five games into the 1999-00 season, Witherspoon, 40, tripled the team’s win
output in the highly-competitive Mid-American Conference from the previous season. Buffalo also saw its first three-game home
court winning streak since the 1997-98 season.
Witherspoon has 19 years of collegiate and high school coaching experience in Western New York and has enjoyed considerable
success during his coaching career. In his two-plus seasons at Erie Community College, he produced a 44-23 record and, in
1998-99, earned Region III Division I Coach of the Year honors
after leading the Kats to a 24-5 record and a Region III title.
In his first season at ECC, Witherspoon led the program to a
19-10 record and was named Western New York Athletic Conference
Coach of the Year, an honor he repeated in the 1998-99
season as well. During his tenure at ECC, Witherspoon produced
four Division I players, two All-Americans and one Academic All-
American.
Prior to his stint at Erie CC, Witherspoon spent 13 years at
Sweet Home High School, eight as an assistant and five as head
coach. During his five years as head coach, his teams won four
straight divisional championships, the first and only time that happened
in school history.
Off the court, Witherspoon has been extremely involved in
community work. He served as Director of Amateur Athletic Events
for the Big 4 from 1996-98 and founded, along with Jim Kwitchoff
and Joe Corey, a youth development program called Buffalo Team
ACE (Athletes Committed to Excellence) in 1991.
Witherspoon is a member of the National Association of Basketball
Coaches and the Basketball Coaches Association of New
York. He is active in Western New York Athletics in many roles,
including being a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of
Fame Board of Directors.
Witherspoon earned his associate’s degree from Erie Community
College and bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies
from Empire State College. While at Erie Community College, he
played for West Virginia head coach John Beilien. He played for
Boston Celtic head coach Jim O’Brien at Wheeling Jesuit College.
Witherspoon resides in East Amherst, NY, with his wife, the
former Dawn Taggart, and the couples’ two daughters, Lydia (11)
and Rachel (10).
REGGIE WITHERSPOON
HEAD COACH • SIXTH YEAR AT BUFFALO • 85-120 COLLEGIATE RECORD (41-97 AT UB)
Witherspoon Notes
1999-2004: Head Coach, University at Buffalo
(41-97, 5 years)
1999-00, Interim Year (3-20)
2000-03, Program on Probation (21-65)
2003-04 (17-12)
Named MAC Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to a 17-12
overall record and 11-7 conference mark in 2003-04.
12-18 record (7-11 in MAC) in 2001-02 was school’s best since
joining the MAC in 1998.
Knocked off 2002 NCAA regional finalist Kent State, 66-65.
Defeated 2001 MAC tournament finalist Miami, 66-61, in OT.
Led Bulls to three Mid-American Conference wins his first year,
tripling the previous year’s total.
Knocked off league-leading Akron 84-83, in a nationally televised
game at Alumni Arena.
1997-1999: Head Coach, Erie Community College
(44-23, 2 years)
Finished 24-5 in the 1998-99 season.
Led Kats to the Region III title.
Ranked as high as 17th nationally.
Team finished second in the country in team defense.
Named the NJCAA Division I Region III Coach of the Year.
Western New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1997-
98 and again in 1998-99.
Finished at 19-10 in 1997-98 and was the Division I Region III
Runner-up.
1992-1997: Head Coach, Sweet Home High School
√ Took over a program that had three straight losing seasons.
√ Finished first in the team’s division four straight years. It was the
first time in the school’s 39-year history it achieved that
accomplishment.