Former MVSU assistant named UAPB men's basketball coach
March 29, 2008
The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff has named George Ivory as its next head men's basketball coach. He was introduced at a press conference and becomes the second head coach hired by new Athletic Director Skip Perkins. Monte Coleman was named head football coach in November.
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"We were looking for someone with knowledge of the Southwestern Athletic Conference," said Perkins. "Coach Ivory has been in this league his entire adult life and he knows exactly what it takes to play, coach, recruit and win in the SWAC."
Ivory returns to UABP from Mississippi Valley State where he had been an assistant coach. He succeeds his former boss, Van Holt, who resigned on March 17 after six seasons.
Ivory is very familiar with Pine Bluff having served as an assistant coach under Holt from 2002-2006. Since then he has been an assistant coach at Grambling State and most recently MVSU.
The 42-year old Mississippi native starred for MVSU from 1984-88 and helped lead the Delta Devils to the 1986 NCAA Tournament. He was SWAC Tournament MPV in 1986 and SWAC Player of the year in 1987.
He began his coaching career as an assistant at Jackson State and served as an assistant for his college coach, Lafayette Stribling, at MVSU from 1998-2002.
This will be Ivory's first head coaching job.
“There’s a wealth of talent in this area,” Ivory said. “We’re the only Division I black university in the state of Arkansas. You’ve got a great chancellor (UAPB Chancellor Lawrence Davis) and you’ve got a great A.D. in Mr. Perkins, who’s somebody who wants to move the program forward. I just enjoyed my last stay here in Pine Bluff. It was great with the alumni. Even the faculty and staff were great. That made a difference when I applied for the job.”
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