Paul Lusk

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Paul Lusk
Current position
TitleAssistant coach
TeamPurdue
ConferenceBig Ten
Biographical details
Born (1971-11-14) November 14, 1971 (age 52)
Playing career
1991–1992Iowa
1993–1995Southern Illinois
Position(s)Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1996–1997Southwestern Illinois (assistant)
1999–2002Missouri Southern (assistant)
2002–2003Dubuque
2003–2004Southern Illinois (assistant)
2004–2011Purdue (assistant)
2011–2018Missouri State
2018–2021Creighton (assistant)
2021–presentPurdue (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall106–121 (.467)
Tournaments0–1 (CIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • Second Team All-MVC (1994)

Paul Lusk (born November 14, 1971[1]) is an American men's basketball coach and former point guard, who is a current assistant men's basketball coach for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college basketball at Iowa from 1991 to 1993 before transferring to Southern Illinois where he played from 1993 to 1995 for head coach Rich Herrin. He then served as the head coach of the Missouri State Bears (2011–2018).

Playing career

A native of New Baden, Illinois,[2] Lusk played high school basketball at Trenton (Wesclin) high school, leading the Warriors to the 1990 Class A state title with an 83–78, 2OT win over top-ranked Fairbury (Prairie Central). Lusk originally committed to the University of Iowa, but suffered a broken leg in his freshman year with the Hawkeyes and later transferred to Southern Illinois University where he played under longtime head coach Rich Herrin.[3]

Coaching career

Dubuque

Lusk was hired in 2002 as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa. He held this job for only one year, the 2002-2003 season. During this season, he was able to win only two games, and finished the season with 2 wins and 23 losses. His team finished last in the conference with a record of 1 win and 17 losses. (archive) https://udspartans.com/sports/2023/12/1/mens-basketball-record-book.aspx

Purdue

Lusk was an assistant at Purdue University from 2004 to 2011 under legendary coach Gene Keady and Matt Painter.

Missouri State

Lusk was introduced as the new coach at Missouri State University on Friday, April 1, 2011, replacing longtime friend, Cuonzo Martin after he left for the head coaching position at Tennessee.[4] In his first season as a head coach, the Bears entered the year with strong expectations and returned Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Kyle Weems. The team would go on to hold a 15–16 record. A major highlight of the season was a road victory over 21st-ranked Creighton in the opening game of conference play.

In Lusk's second season as head coach, with a roster including six freshmen and only one returning senior, the Bears were the youngest team in the Missouri Valley Conference and one of the youngest in the nation. Struggling early in the season the Bears went 0–10 against Division I programs, only gaining 2 wins in their first 12 games against Division II teams. The Bears registered their first win over a Division I team on December 30, beating Southern Illinois University 70–59.

He was fired from Missouri State on March 3, 2018.[5]

Creighton

Following his firing from Missouri State, Lusk joined the coaching staff of Greg McDermott at Creighton.[6]

Return to Purdue

On April 12, 2021, Lusk returned to Painter's staff at Purdue.[7]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Missouri State (Missouri Valley) (2011–2018)
2011–12 Missouri State 16–16 9–9 T–3rd
2012–13 Missouri State 11–22 7–11 T–8th
2013–14 Missouri State 20–13 9–9 T–4th CIT First Round
2014–15 Missouri State 11–20 5–13 8th
2015–16 Missouri State 13–19 8–10 T–6th
2016–17 Missouri State 17–16 7–11 T–6th
2017–18 Missouri State 18–15 7–11 T–7th
Missouri State: 106–121 (.467) 51–75 (.405)
Total: 106–121 (.467)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ "Player Bio : Paul Lusk". Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  2. ^ Scott, Mike (April 1, 2011). "Paul Lusk Officially Named Missouri State Head Coach". Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  3. ^ Donnelly, Michael (April 4, 2011). "Paul Lusk Is Named 17th Head Basketball Coach At MSU". Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  4. ^ "Missouri State hires Purdue associate head coach Paul Lusk to lead men's basketball program". The Washington Post. April 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  5. ^ Rothstein, Jon (March 3, 2018). "Missouri State fires Paul Lusk". fanragsports.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Nyatawa, Jon (April 3, 2018). "Creighton the right fit for Paul Lusk; Jays add former Missouri State coach to replace Darian DeVries". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "Purdue's Matt Painter Hires Paul Lusk as Assistant Coach". www.si.com. Sports Illustrated Network. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.