The University of Mississippi Athletics
Wayne Brent Recommended for Assistant Basketball Coach
6/21/1999 | Men's Basketball
April 20, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- University of Mississippi Interim Athletic Director Eddie Crawford has recommended the hiring of Wayne Brent as an assistant coach for the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program. The recommendation, made on Monday, is pending approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.
Brent joins head coach Rod Barnes' staff at Ole Miss after a very successful six-year stint as the head coach at Provine High School in Jackson, Miss. In his six seasons at Provine, Brent compiled a record of 116-65. This past season, Brent guided the Rams to a 37-1 record and the Mississippi 5A state championship.
Provine was ranked No. 1 in the state and was No. 25 in the final USA Today Boys' High School Top 25 poll. For his efforts, Brent was named the Clarion-Ledger's Metro Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. During the 1996-97 season, Brent led Provine to a 21-8 record and the Mississippi 5A state title game. He was selected the Clarion-Ledger's Metro Coach of the Year, and his squad finished the 1996-97 campaign ranked No. 2 in the state. Brent's 1995-96 team posted a 15-10 record and won the district championship.
"I'm happy to have Wayne as part of the staff," Barnes said. "He is one of the outstanding young coaches in the State of Mississippi and will be a valuable asset to this team. He brings youth, enthusiasm, and a positive can-do attitude. He is a class act."
Prior to his time at Provine, Brent served as an assistant coach at Tallulah High School in Tallulah, La., for one year (1991-92). Tallulah finished the season with a 13-15 record, but won the district championship and advanced to the state playoffs.
A 1989 graduate of Northeast Louisiana University, Brent played two seasons for the Indian basketball program in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Northeast finished the 1987-88 season with a 21-9 mark, placed second in the Southland Conference and received a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bid. The 1988-89 team had a 17-12 record and also finished second in the Southland Conference.
Following graduation, Brent served as a graduate assistant coach at Northeast Louisiana for two years (1989-90 and 1990-91). During his two seasons as a graduate assistant, the Indians posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns (23-8 in 1989-90; 25-8 in 1990-91), won consecutive Southland Conference titles and advanced to two straight NCAA Tournaments.
Brent holds three degrees from Northeast Louisiana, including a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (1989), a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance (1992) and a Master's of Education in Health and Human Performance (1992).
Brent graduated from Provine High School in 1985 and also played three years of basketball for the Rams from 1982-85. During his three playing years, Provine compiled a 66-28 record and won two city championships.
The selection of Brent rounds out Barnes' staff, as Marc Dukes and Eric Bozeman were hired on April 13.
