MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State men’s basketball coach
Donnie Tyndall announced Thursday that he has named Wade O’Connor as Assistant Men's Basketball Coach.
O’Connor will assist with all aspects of the program, including recruiting, scouting and game planning. He joins the MSU program after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Western Carolina.
“Wade and I have been very good friends for 16 plus years now. I have followed his career closely and have no doubt in my mind that we are getting one of the best assistant coaches in college basketball to join our staff here at Morehead State University,” said Tyndall. “Wade will be involved with every phase of our program, and brings a reputation as a very, very good recruiter. He has worked for many great coaches in his career including coach Billy Donovan, coach Oliver Purnell and coach Larry Hunter. Those experiences obviously speak for themselves. I am thrilled to add coach O’Connor to our Morehead State University family.”
While at Western Carolina, O’Connor helped lead the program to 38 wins over two seasons, including a school-record 22 wins this past season. The Catamounts beat Elon in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament in 2009 and participated in the Collegiate Insider Post Season Tournament against Marshall. The highlight of that season was a non-conference win at Louisville. The Catamounts were the last non-Big East team to defeat Louisville in Freedom Hall.
“I am very appreciative and thankful for the opportunity coach Tyndall has given me to be a part of his coaching staff. I have known coach Tyndall for over 16 years and the job he has done in the short time he has been at Morehead State University is incredible,” said O’Connor. “I am very excited to work with a head coach that is so highly thought of in the college coaching fraternity and hope to help coach Tyndall and the rest of the staff continue with success they have had here at Morehead State University.”
Prior to Western Carolina, O’Connor was head coach at St. Catharine College in Kentucky, where he led the Patriots to a 23-8 record in his first season. In just four years at St. Catharine, O’Connor led the Patriots to 94 wins. In 2005-06 the Patriots finished 25-6 overall and captured a share of the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association (TJCCAA) regular season championship, the first in school history. The Patriots were ranked as high as 16th in the country by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
O’Connor spent 10 years among the NCAA D-I coaching ranks. From 1994-96 he was on staff at Marshall University, under current Florida head coach Billy Donovan. The Thundering Herd won the Northern Division of the Southern Conference in 1994-95.
After Marshall, O’Conner moved onto Oliver Purnell’s staff at Dayton, from 1996-2000. In the 1997-98 season, Dayton was 21-12 and earned a bid to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Flyers made the NCAA Tournament in the 1999-2000 season after winning the Atlantic-10 Western Division with 22 wins.
O’Connor was the recruiting coordinator at Tulane from 2000-04. While at Tulane, he helped develop future NBA player, Linton Johnson, of the Phoenix Suns. The 2002-03 recruiting class was ranked 29th in the country of 327 Division 1 schools. In all, O'Connor has also coached and developed 50 former players who have played professionally.
O'Connor is a 1994 graduate of Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Mass., where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.