Alabama State Names Proctor Interim Men’s
Head Basketball Coach
May 5, 2005
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama State University has selected
current assistant basketball coach Joe Proctor as interim head
coach of the men’s basketball team. Proctor takes over
for Rob Spivery, who left ASU to take the head coaching position
at Southern University.
“Coach Proctor was chosen because he has prior experience
as a head coach on the Division I level and I think he’ll
do a great job,” said ASU athletic director Patrick Carter.
Carter said no timetable is set for the selection of a permanent
head coach.
“We’ll open it up for a national search. But we
hope Coach Proctor and (current ASU assistant) Coach (Lewis)
Jackson will put their names in the hat for permanent job,” Carter
added.
Proctor arrived at Alabama State in 1996 as Spivery’s
top assistant and has been on board as ASU has gone from a
second-tier team to one of the elite programs in the Southwestern
Athletic Conference. He is now charged with running the Hornets
basketball operation until a permanent successor is named.
“I just want to keep everything in order. I’m
part of the glue, along with Coach Jackson, that will keep
the program together until the administration decides what
it wants to do,” Proctor said. “We should be done
with recruiting in the next couple of days. That’s the
main thing so that won’t be a problem whenever the new
coach comes in.”
A Knoxville, Tenn., native, Proctor played collegiate basketball
at what is now the University of Memphis. His sweet, rainbow
jumper and strong defensive play earned him Sophomore-of-the-Year
honors in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1969 and other
regional honors.
After earning his degree from Memphis State in 1971, Proctor
landed his first head coaching job at Catholic High in Memphis.
The next year, he moved on to Shelby State College, where he
coached until 1977. In his last season, he took Shelby State
to the national junior college tournament.
Proctor worked as an assistant at Drake University (1977-81),
Baylor (1981-85), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City
(1985-94). It was while he was at UMKC that he got his first
head coaching stint, when he served as interim head coach during
the 1993-94 season. He led the Roos to a 13-8 record, including
the school’s first wins over teams in the former Big
8 and Southeastern Conferences.
“It’s a little different because I took over there
mid-year,” Proctor said. “It’s a little tougher
because I had to jump right in. But coming in during the off-season
provides a little different situation.”
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