The Head Coach Center.
Head Coach
Waugh has made it a mission to upgrade the Hatters nonconference schedule with high level opponents, especially from within the state. In the last five years, Stetson has also hosted the University of South Florida from the Big East and Florida State from the A.C.C. The University of Miami, also from the A.C.C. is set to come to the Edmunds Center during the 2009-10 campaign. The Waugh era began with a bang as the Hatters defeated Southwest Missouri State 80-76 on Dec. 28, Stetson’s first victory in a “guarantee game” in over 10 years. Waugh then took the Hatters from last place in the Atlantic Sun Conference to a tie for third. A win over eventual A-Sun champion Georgia State and a six-game winning streak highlighted Waugh’s first month in charge. Waugh guided the Hatters to a 17-12 overall record and an 117, third-place finish in the conference. Under Waugh’s leadership, the Hatters won their first A-Sun Tournament game in seven years before falling in the semifinals. Stetson was 13-8 with Waugh leading the way and the Hatters’ 17 wins were the most since the 1988-89 season. Waugh helped guide the 2003-04 Hatter squad to a 12-15 overall record and a 10-10 A-Sun mark, good for a fifth place finish and a trip to the conference tournament. Stetson won five in a row and eight out of 11 during the second half of the season. The 2004-05 season saw Stetson upset Georgia 56-52 in Athens, marking the Hatters’ first win over an SEC opponent in 21 years. But in an extremely tight league where just five games separated first place from 10th place, the Hatters narrowly missed the conference tournament despite a respectable 8-12 A-Sun record. The 2005-06 campaign was one of the most amazing in school history. While faltering during Stetson’s pre-conference season and at one point owning the nation’s longest losing streak, the Hatters rebounded to win 12 of their last 14 games and actually had the nation’s fifth longest winning streak during February. The turnaround was the greatest of any school in the Atlantic Sun’s 20 year history and it marked one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NCAA history. Along the way, Stetson also set school, Divison I records for road winning streak, overall winning streak and most wins in February. The Hatters made their second trip to the conference semi-finals during the Waugh era. During his tenure, Waugh has signed two A-SUN allfreshman team members, three all-conference players, the leading scoring duo in Stetson history (Register and Gordon), 12 all-state players in Florida and Georgia, a junior college All-American and 16 players from the state of Florida. A 1993 Furman University graduate, Waugh has been a part of the Hatter coaching staff since July 1997. In his three-plus seasons as an assistant, Waugh quickly gained a reputation as one of the country’s top young post coaches. Under Waugh’s guidance in 1997-
Derek WAUGH AUGH Furman, 1993 10th th Season 105-147 Overall 78-90 A-Sun
Derek Waugh has gone from the youngest Division I head coach in the country when he took over the Stetson program in 2000 to the most tenured coach in the Atlantic Sun Conference and the third most tenured Division I coach in the state of Florida. He ranks third alltime in wins at Stetson, second in wins in the Division I era and first in career conference wins. Overall, the Hatters have won 33 of their last 44 home games under Waugh and have set three school records in the modern era for win streaks in the last three years (overall, road and home). Waugh signed a contract extension following the 2007-08 season that will keep him on the Hatter sidelines for years to come. In 2008-09 Stetson had another successful home campaign finishing 10-4 in the Edmunds Center. The Hatters also had some key wins on the road including the January 16, 2009 victory over Kennesaw State giving Waugh the 100th win of his career. Another highlight was Stetson’s 64-63 upset of ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. From January 31-February 14 Waugh led Stetson to wins in five of six conference games until key injuries slowed the team down the final stretch. In 2007-08, the Hatters finished third in the Atlantic Sun conference with a mark of 11-5. This mark tied for second best in school history. The Hatters also finished 11-2 at home which was third best home record in the 34 year history of the Edmunds
The Waugh File Personal Born: October 13, 1971 Wife: Mary Children: Sophia, Luke, Jack Education B.S., Furman University, 1993 J.D., Wake Forest Univ., 1996
College Basketball’s Division I Youngest Head Coaches with 75 or more career wins
Coaching Experience Dec. 27, 2000 - Present Head Coach Stetson University
Name Jeff Capel III Darrin Horn Mick Cronin Chris Lowery Billy Lange Will Brown Derek Waugh Billy Taylor Chris Mooney
July 1997- Dec. 2000 Assistant Coach Stetson University Playing Experience Furman Paladins, 1989-93 SoCon Freshman/Year (1990) First-Team All-SoCon (1993) Academic All-American (1993)
Stetson University
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Age 34 36 38 37 37 37 37 36 37
School Division I Wins Oklahoma 148 South Carolina 132 Cincinnati 111 Southern Illinois 109 Navy 107 Albany 106 Stetson University 105 Ball State 101 Richmond 99