Sean Woods named head coach at Southern

Southern University made a coaching change Thursday, bringing former Morehead State and Mississippi Valley State head coach Sean Woods aboard in place of interim head coach Morris Scott. Woods was an assistant at Stetson last season under Corey Williams.

Scott led the Jaguars to a 15-18 (10-8) record in his lone season at the helm, good for fifth in the SWAC. Woods comes to Southern with eight full seasons of head coaching experience, including a four-year tenure at Mississippi Valley State that culminated with SWAC regular season and Tournament titles in 2012.

However, Woods’ tenure at his next job – Morehead State – ended in controversy. The coach resigned in December 2016 after being charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly assaulting two of his players. At the time of his resignation, he was serving a suspension as a result of an investigation into the alleged player mistreatment.

The charges were dismissed after Woods completed a six-month diversion program. The coach now looks ahead to his new role at Southern, a second chance he immensely thankful for.

“I just turned 48 two weeks ago,” Woods said Thursday, “and…today is probably the best day of my life because I’m at a place where I feel content. I feel like I’m needed and also a place where I need to be.”

Woods has known Southern AD Roman Banks for 20 years and has experience in the league, so expectations will be high for the new coach. He acknowledged the goal to start winning right away. “I’m not here to rebuild,” he said, “I’m here to reload.”