Quick Facts
Biography
Paul Lusk (born November 14, 1971) is an American basketball head coach. A former assistant coach at Purdue under Matt Painter, he was introduced as the new coach at Missouri State University on Friday, April 1, 2011. He was hired to replace Cuonzo Martin after he left for the head coaching position at Tennessee.
Playing career
A native of New Baden, Illinois, Lusk played high school basketball at Trenton (Wesclin) high school, leading the Warriors to the 1990 Class A state title with an 83-78, 2OT win over top-ranked Fairbury (Prairie Central). Lusk originally committed to the University of Iowa, but suffered a broken leg in his freshman year with the Hawkeyes and later transferred to Southern Illinois University where he played under longtime head coach Rich Herrin.
Coaching career
Purdue
Lusk was an assistant at Purdue University from 2004-11 under legendary coach Gene Keady and Matt Painter. From 2004-08, Lusk was on the staff along with longtime friend, Cuonzo Martin, who he would eventually succeed at Missouri State.
2011–12
In Paul Lusk's first season as a head coach, the Bears entered the year with strong expectations and returned Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Kyle Weems. The team would go on to hold a 15-16 record. A major highlight of the season was a road victory over 21st-ranked Creighton in the opening game of conference play.
2012–13
In Paul Lusk's second season as head coach, with a roster including six freshmen and only one returning senior, the Bears were the youngest team in the Missouri Valley Conference and one of the youngest in the nation. Struggling early in the season the Bears went 0-10 against Division I programs, only gaining 2 wins in their first 12 games against Division II teams. The Bears registered their first win over a Division I team on December 30, beating Southern Illinois University 70-59.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State (Missouri Valley) (2011–present) | |||||||||
| 2011–12 | Missouri State | 16–16 | 9–9 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2012–13 | Missouri State | 11–22 | 7–11 | T–8th | |||||
| 2013–14 | Missouri State | 20–13 | 9–9 | T–4th | CIT 1st Round | ||||
| 2014–15 | Missouri State | 11–20 | 5–13 | 8th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Missouri State | 13–19 | 8–10 | T–6th | |||||
| 2016–17 | Missouri State | 14–9 | 5–5 | ||||||
| Missouri State: | 85–99 (.462) | 43–57 (.430) | |||||||
| Total: | 85–99 (.462) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||