Orlando Early Named Head Coach at Louisiana-Monroe
4/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MONROE, La. - Louisiana-Monroe Director of Athletics Bobby Staub has named Orlando Early as the school's new men's basketball coach. Early, who replaces long-time head coach Mike Vining, is the sixth head coach in the program's 54-year history.
"We are very fortunate to have someone of Orlando Early's caliber as our new men's basketball coach," said Staub. "He is the right fit for Louisiana-Monroe as we move into the Sun Belt Conference."
Early, 37, spent the past four seasons as an assistant with the Alabama Crimson Tide. During those four seasons, Alabama advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years and won the 2002 SEC regular season championship.
The Lebanon, Va. native was a four-year letterman for Gardner-Webb College, playing point guard and leading the team to the 1988 NAIA District 26 title.
Early graduated from Gardner-Webb in 1990 and took his first collegiate coaching job with his alma mater in 1993.
After two seasons at Gardner-Webb, Early took an assistant position at Western Carolina in 1995. He was promoted from assistant to associate head coach for the Catamounts in just his second season. During his tenure, WCU won the 1996 Southern Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
In 1998, Early took a position with UNC-Charlotte. The 49ers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2001 and to the NIT in 2000 with Early on the staff. Charlotte also won the Conference USA tournament championship in 1999 and 2001.
Athlon ranked Early No. 3 nationally on its "Top Assistant Coaches" list in its fall 2004-05 basketball issue.
Early is married to the former Jualeah (pronounced Wuh-leah) Johnson of Akron, Ohio. They have three children, Nakita, Storm, and Erica.
Early's hire is pending the approval of the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. He has agreed to a four-year contract with a base salary of $115,000 per year with additional incentives.
Quote from UA Coach Mark Gottfried
"Obviously, we're going to miss him because he did a tremendous job here for us. I think he's going to be destined for greatness as a head coach. He's got all of the qualities that somebody would want. So we're excited for him and his opportunity. I think he's going to do a fantastic job."
