The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Mike Anderson Announces Basketball Staff
4/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 17, 2002
UAB head basketball coach Mike Anderson has completed his first Blazer staff announcing the hiring of Jackson State assistant coach Chris Giles, former TCU assistant Scott Edgar, and Dardanelle (Ark), High School head coach Matt Zimmerman.
Giles is a native of Birmingham and former UAB basketball player. He spent the last 16 years at Jackson State. Edgar comes to UAB after spending the last three years as assistant coach to Billy Tubbs at TCU. He is a former head coach at Murray State and Duquesne. Zimmerman has served the past four years as head coach at Dardanelle.
"This is an excellent staff that will work extremely hard and will be great ambassadors for UAB," Anderson said. "It is a staff that shares my vision of where we want to take UAB basketball. Plus, I have been associated with all three in one way or another for several years. They are part of my basketball family."
Giles played his high school ball at Birmingham's Parker High School. He played at UAB from 1979 through '82 after transferring from Southern Illinois. He was on the Blazers' first NIT team in 1980 and their first two NCAA Tournament teams in 1981 and '82. Giles has been at Jackson State since 1986. He originally served under former UAB assistant coach John Prince. Giles was retained when Andy Stoglin was named head coach in 1989 and was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 1993-94 season. The Tigers won the SWAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice, in 1997 and 2000, during Giles' tenure.
"Chris brings valuable experience from a recruiting standpoint, as well as being an outstanding floor coach," Anderson said.
Edgar was assistant coach at Tulsa when Anderson was a player there. Edgar later coached with Anderson at both Tulsa and Arkansas. The two worked together when Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1990. Edgar was Director of Basketball Operations the past three years at TCU. The Horned Frogs were 18-12 in 2000 and 20-9 in 2001 before entering Conference USA this past season. Edgar also served as head coach at Murray State from 1991-95. He compiled a 79-40 record in the four years and took the Racers to two NCAA Tournaments and four post-season appearances. He then spent three years as head coach at Duquesne. Edgar earned his degree from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in 1978.
"Scott and I have known each other 20 years," said Anderson. "He brings a wealth of experience as a head coach and a recruiter and he can relate to the players."
Zimmerman has been the head boy's basketball coach at Dardanelle Senior High since 1998. He had a record of 74-46 in the four years he served as head coach. Zimmerman took Dardanelle to the state tournament quarterfinals and a No. 7 ranking in 2000. His team also participated in the state tournament in 2001. Zimmerman also was a student coach for four seasons while earning his degree at Arkansas.
"Matt has been one of the top young and coming coaches in the state of Arkansas the past several years. He also did an outstanding job as a student assistant at Arkansas," Anderson said.
Anderson, a former assistant at Arkansas, was named as the third head basketball coach in UAB history on April 4.
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