Tigers

Jackson State Tigers

NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference
Past Conferences: Mid-West Athletic Conference
City: Jackson, Mississippi

Arena: Williams Assembly Center
NCAA Tournaments: 3
National Championships: None
Conference Titles: 14

Team History

The Jackson State Tigers basketball history dates back to at least the 1950s. The Tigers were part of the Midwest Athletic Association Conference. The Tigers won conference championships in 1953 and 1957 under head coach Harrison Wilson.

The Tigers moved to the Southwest Athletic Conference in the early 60s. They won their first SWAC Championship in the 1963-1964 season under coach Wilson. They went on to win four more regular season conference championships under Paul Covington, before the conference began having a conference tournament.

During the 1978-1979, the Tigers finished with a 21-5 overall record under Covington. They were led by forward Purvis Short, who averaged nearly 30 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. The Tigers won the inaugural SWAC Tournament also. After a few average seasons, Covington and the Tigers won the SWAC regular season championship in 1982, after finishing with a 19-9 record. Covington remained at the helm until the end of the 1985-1986 season.

John Prince took over for the next three seasons. He led the Tigers to just one winning season.

Coach Stoglin Leads Them Back

Andy Stoglin was named head in 1989. Stoglin led the Tigers back to the conference championship in just his second season. They finished with a 17-13 overall record. They won the SWAC regular season championship and the conference tournament championship.

The 1992-93 was one of the best in Tigers history. They finished with a 25-9 overall record and won the regular season championship by a four-game margin. The team was led by the Bulldogs all-time leading scorer Lindsey Hunter Jr. Hunter averaged nearly 27 points per game. He was drafted 10th overall to the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA draft. The 1993-1994 Tigers finished with a 19-10 overall record and finished second in the SWAC to Texas Southern University. They were led by guard Ryan Lorthridge and forward Godfrey Thompson, who both went on to play in the NBA.

The Tigers wouldn’t win another conference championship until 1996, when they shared it with Mississippi Valley State. They finished with a 16-13 season.

Despite finishing with a losing record, the 1996-1997 Tigers made history. They ran the table, won the SWAC Conference Tournament championship, and received their first invite to the NCAA Tournament. They ended up falling to Kansas in the first round.

Coach Covington’s Last Season

Covington and the Tigers went on to win one more conference championship in the 1999-2000 season. They received their second invite to the NCAA Tournament, where they went on to lose to Arizona in the first round. Covington’s last season was 2002-2003. He finished his career with a 197-216 overall record, five conference championships, and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Tevester Anderson joined the Tigers as head coach after spending the past five seasons at Murray State. The Tigers earned their first winning season under Anderson in the 2006-2007 season. They finished 21-14. Additionally, they won the regular season championship and the SWAC Tournament championship. They were rewarded with another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

They finished 19-13 in 2009-2010 and won the regular season championship again. They were led by guard Garrison Johnson who averaged 20 points per game and nearly five rebounds per game. Anderson’s last season at the helm was the 2012-2013 season. He finished with a 149-170 overall record.

Wayne Brent coached the Tigers from 2013-2022. He led the Tigers to just two winning seasons and no conference championships.

Former NBA point guard Mo Williams is the current coach at Jackson State. They currently hold a 1-12 record.