Alford Hires Tim Buckley, Billy Garrett As Assistant Coaches On His Hawkeye Basketball Staff

Coach Steve Alford said today he has hired Tim Buckley [right] and Billy Garrett [left] as assistants on his Iowa basketball staff.

Buckley has 10 years of experience as a collegiate head coach. He was the head coach at Ball State from 2000-06 and served as the head coach at Rockford College from 1989-93. His career record is 143-139, including a 93-77 record at Ball State and a 50-52 mark at Rockford.

Garrett joins the Hawkeye program after serving as an assistant coach at Seton Hall for the past five seasons. Garrett helped the Pirates post an 18-12 record in 2006, advancing to the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“We’re very excited to add Billy and Tim to the staff,” said Alford. “They both have a wealth of coaching experience at the college level and both have ties to the midwest. Tim and Billy are high quality people who have a great passion for college basketball.”

Buckley led Ball State to an 18-12 mark in his first season and the Cardinals posted 23 wins in his second year at the helm. In 2005 he led Ball State to an 11-3 home record as the Cardinals led the Mid-American Conference in attendance.

In 2002 Buckley led Ball State to the Mid-American Conference West Division title and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. Ball State won its first round game at home and collected wins at St. Joseph’s and Louisiana State before losing in the round of eight.

The Cardinals placed second in the Maui Invitational that season, reaching the title game with back-to-back wins over third-ranked Kansas and fourth-ranked UCLA.

Buckley spent the 1999-00 season as the top assistant under Tom Crean at Marquette as the Golden Eagles posted a 15-14 record and earned a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.

In five seasons as an assistant at Ball State, Buckley helped the Cardinals post an 88-55 record. The Cardinals averaged nearly 18 wins per season and participated in the 1995 NCAA and 1988 NIT tournaments. Ball State won the 1995 MAC Tournament title and tied for first in the conference in 1997-98.

Buckley spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Wisconsin under Stu Jackson. The Badgers that season earned their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1947, advancing to the second round and concluding the year with an 18-11 record.

He began his college coaching career as an assistant at Bemidji State from 1986-88 and he was an assistant coach at Rockford in 1988-89. He was named Rockford’s head coach in 1989 and reached 50 wins there faster than any coach in the school’s history.

He was the youngest coach in the nation during his first season at Rockford when he led his team to a 16-9 record, the first winning season for the school in seven years.

A native of Aurora, Ill., Buckley earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications in 1986 and his master’s in Administration of Physical Education in 1988, both from Bemidji State. He played for two seasons at Waubonsee, IL Community College before completing his playing career at Bemidji State.

“I’ve known Tim since our days coaching at the Division III level,” added Alford. “I feel fortunate to add Tim to the staff due to his 10 years of experience as a head coach at the college level. Plus, he has served as an assistant coach in the Big Ten. He knows the landscape of recruiting and will benefit our program in both recruiting and the on-floor development of our players.”

Along with advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2006, Garrett helped Seton Hall advance to the NCAA second round in 2005 and the Pirates competed in the NIT in 2004. Overall the Pirates posted an 80-69 record in five seasons with Garrett as a member of the staff, making three straight post-season appearances.

Garrett joined the college coaching ranks in 2000-01, serving as an assistant coach at Siena. Siena that season posted a 20-11 overall record and tied for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Prior to joining the college ranks, Garrett served as athletic director, boys basketball coach and head track and field coach at Providence St. Mel High School in Chicago (1994-2000). Taking over a basketball program that was 4-22 the previous season, Garrett compiled a 130-50 record while transforming the program into a city, state and national power.

A native of Indianapolis, IN, Garrett attended Illinois State University, where he played football for four years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in youth administration from the University of Indianapolis in 1991.

“I’m excited to have Billy joining the staff, as we’ve known each other since we were very young,” pointed out Alford. “I’ve known his family since we were growing up playing basketball together. He has experience as a head coach on the high school level in Chicago and six years of valuable experience in the Big East Conference.”

As is the case with Alford and associate head coach Craig Neal, Garrett comes from a basketball family in the state of Indiana. Garrett’s father, the late William Garrett, was Indiana’s “Mr. Basketball” in 1947. He led Shelbyville to its first state title and later became the first African-American basketball player at Indiana University