Joe Scott returns to Air Force for second stint as head coach

Georgia assistant Joe Scott has been hired to be the head coach at Air Force, the same position he held from 2000-04. Scott led the Falcons to their first (and still only) Mountain West title and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2004 before leaving for his alma mater, Princeton.

“Joe is a person of strong character and a leader who will continue to represent our core values at Air Force,” AD Nathan Pine said on Tuesday. “He is also a championship-caliber coach who understands the Academy, what we stand for and he knows as well as anyone how to be successful here. Coach Scott is a gifted teacher with a passion for the sport of basketball and developing young men into leaders, he is the perfect person to reenergize our men’s basketball program.”

Scott returns to the Academy with 235 career head coaching victories over 16 seasons (51 at Air Force). His longest tenure was just up the road at Denver, where he coached the Pioneers for nine years. His 2012-13 team won the WAC and played in the NIT.

“I would like to thank Nathan Pine for the opportunity to return to the Academy, as we pursue our common goal of reenergizing Air Force basketball,” Scott said in a statement. “The Academy is a special place and we loved our time here. We will recruit players that fit the core values and ideals of the Academy and will help develop them into leaders of character on and off the court.”

Before spending the last two seasons on Tom Crean‘s staff, Scott worked under Bill Carmody at Holy Cross. He had previously assisted Carmody at Princeton (1996-2000), where he played PG for Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril in the 80s.

credit to Air Force Athletics for the image