assistant Coach Assistant Coach
Bill Phillips Year at JMU: Second Hometown: Collegeville, Pa. College: Saint Joseph’s 2001 Bill Phillips was elevated to assistant coach for JMU in June of 2012-13 after serving the 2011-12 campaign as the staff’s director of operations. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to promote Bill to full-time status,” commented Brady. “Not just this past year but since I’ve known him, Bill has demonstrated great character, integrity and work ethic. He exemplifies the intangibles and characteristics that we want from our players. He’ll continue to be a mentor to our players but in a more significant role now.” After getting acquainted with the program in his first season, Phillips will evolve in his new role to add in-game coaching duties along with a greater emphasis on off-campus recruiting, player development and the overall advancement of the program. “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to continue with the JMU basketball team especially in a role with more hands-on responsiblilities,” stated Phillips. “I am looking forward to being part of a successful 2012-13 season and helping to take the program to new heights in the future.” Phillips was hired as JMU’s director of basketball operations in June of 2011. In that role, he was involved in all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the program, including team travel, academics, dining contracts, alumni relations and on-campus recruiting. Prior to JMU, Phillips spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach with Division II Philadelphia University. The Rams went 15-12 with Phillips working primarily with post player development. He also worked with player strength and conditioning as well as game scouting. An accomplished college player at William and Mary and later Saint Joseph’s, Phillips went on to play eight seasons of professional basketball at the international level. He began his career in the NBA Summer League in 2002, where he played alongside Caron Butler and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. His international experi-
ence included stops with 10 different teams in France, Greece, Spain, Italy and Germany. Phillips was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. With his three seasons in Philadelphia, he currently ranks 47th on the school’s scoring chart with 1,007 points in 93 games. He also sits fifth with a .527 career field goal percentage and 22nd in rebounding with 686. As a senior playing alongside Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, he captained the 2001-02 squad that went 19-12 and reached the second round of the NIT. He averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game while establishing a school record for three-point accuracy with a .495 percentage (52-105). As a junior, he helped the Hawks reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a win over Georgia Tech before bowing to Stanford. He averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds to go with career-high totals of 111 assists, 151 blocks and 42 steals. Phillips was named Second Team AllConference in the Atlantic 10 as well as Second Team All-Big 5 in both his junior and senior seasons. As a sophomore in 1999-2000, he averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. His three stellar seasons in Philadelphia came after Phillips earned All-Rookie honors at William and Mary for the 1997-98 season. He averaged 8.0 points per game and was second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game while averaging 21.7 minutes as the Tribe posted a 20-7 overall record. A high achiever in the classroom as well, Phillips was honored as a two-time Academic All-American, second team in 2001-02 and third team in 2000-01. He was named the Atlantic 10’s Student Athlete of the Year in both years. Phillips graduated Cum Laude from Saint Joseph’s with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2001 and went on to acquire his master’s degree in financial services in 2002 while completing his competitive career.
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