Paul Lusk (born November 14, 1971) is an American men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach and former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

, who is a current assistant men's basketball coach for the

Purdue Boilermakers The Purdue Boilermakers are the official intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname is also used as colloquial designation ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

from 1991 to 1993 before transferring to

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois, also known as Little Egypt, is the southern third of Illinois, principally along and south of Interstate 64. Although part of a Midwestern United States, Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of th ...

where he played from 1993 to 1995 for head coach

Rich Herrin Rich Herrin (April 6, 1933 – December 25, 2020) was a top collegiate basketball coach in America. From 2012 to 2014, he coached collegiately at Morthland College, as well as the Southern Illinois University Salukis men's basketball team ...

. He then served as the head coach of the

Missouri State Bears The Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears are the athletic teams representing Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University). Missouri State's athletics programs date back to 1908. Missouri State competes in the NCAA Div ...

(2011–2018).

Playing career

A native of

New Baden, Illinois New Baden is a village in Clinton County, Illinois, United States (and partially in St. Clair County). The population was 3,428 at the 2020 census. Geography New Baden is located at (38.535479, -89.700136). According to the 2021 census gazettee ...

, 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 The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, but suffered a broken leg in his freshman year with the Hawkeyes and later transferred to

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

where he played under longtime head coach

Coaching career

Purdue

Lusk was an assistant at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

from 2004 to 2011 under legendary coach

Gene Keady Lloyd Eugene Keady (born May 21, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is best known for his 25 years serving as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University in Indiana. In his tenure leading the Boilermakers from 1980 to 2005, he went ...

and

Matt Painter Matthew Curtis Painter (born August 27, 1970) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the men's basketball coach at Purdue University, having held that position since 2005. Before Purdue, Painter held coaching positions ...

Missouri State

Lusk was introduced as the new coach at

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

on Friday, April 1, 2011, replacing longtime friend,

Cuonzo Martin Cuonzo LaMar Martin (born September 23, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the former head coach of the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team. High school Playing alongside LaPhonso Ellis as a sophomore and junior, Ma ...

after he left for the head coaching position at

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. 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 The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

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

70–59. He was fired from Missouri State on March 3, 2018.

Creighton

Following his firing from Missouri State, Lusk joined the coaching staff of

Greg McDermott Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American basketball coach who has been the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team since 2010. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach at Wayne State College, North Dakota ...

at Creighton.

Return to Purdue

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

Head coaching record

References

1971 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Illinois College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Creighton Bluejays men's basketball coaches Dubuque Spartans men's basketball coaches Missouri State Bears basketball coaches People from Clinton County, Illinois People from St. Clair County, Illinois Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball coaches Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball coaches Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball players Sportspeople from Greater St. Louis {{1970s-US-basketball-bio-stub