Tony Delk
Tony Delk Hired as New Men's Basketball Coach
April 2, 2007
gohatters.com
Stetson University announced today the hiring of Tony Delk as their new head coach for men's basketball at a press conference on their campus in DeLand, Florida. Delk, 33, will replace Derek Waugh who resigned after 7 seasons following an 11-20 record in 2006-07 and a career mark of 77-114.
"It is an honor to get the opportunity to be the head basketball coach at Stetson University," Delk said at his introductory press conference. "The enthusiasm I have felt from the athletic director, players, and fans makes me know that we can do something really special here for Hatters basketball."
Delk recently retired from playing professional basketball after a season in Greece with Panathinaikos following 10 seasons in the NBA with seven different teams. This is Delk's first head coaching experience at any level.
The 1992 "Mr. Basketball" for the state of Tennessee, the Covington, Tenn. born Delk went on to play four seasons at the University of Kentucky where he won a national championship in 1996 with the Wildcats as well being named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player, All-American first team player, and SEC Player of the Year for the 1995-96 season.
For his collegiate career, Delk played in 133 games for Kentucky with a career average of 14.2 points per game including a 17.8 average in his senior season.
Delk was then a 1st round pick, 16th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and played with them as well as the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons from 1996-2006. He finished his NBA career playing 545 games with a 9.1 points per game average.
Now Delk takes over a Stetson Hatters team that has never been to the NCAA Tournament and has struggled near the bottom of the Atlantic Sun Conference for years.
"I know a turn around will take time," Delk said of his appointment. "The main thing is we have to prepare relentlessly, focus on fundamentals, coach up our kids better than anyone else, and hit the recruiting trail with fierce determination. If we do these things, the wins will start to come. There's nothing that says Stetson basketball can't be great. It's my job to make it so, otherwise I wouldn't be here."
Now as the man in charge of Stetson basketball, Delk will begin work on finalizing the Hatters' schedule for the 2007-08 season.