Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Interim Head Coach
- Email:
- jpelphrey@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-4551
John Pelphrey joined the Crimson Tide staff as the associate head men’s basketball coach at The University of Alabama in April of 2016. Pelphrey came to Tuscaloosa with more than 20 years of assistant and head coaching experience to the Tide at the Division-I level.
The addition of Pelphrey on the Crimson Tide bench not only added someone who boasts multiple years as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference (Florida from 1996-2002 and 2011-15), but also brings nine years of head coaching experience (South Alabama from 2002-07 and Arkansas from 2007-11). During his time in the SEC, Pelphrey coached 14 players that have been drafted in the NBA including World Champions: Udonis Haslem (3x), Mike Miller (2x), Matt Bonner (2x), Jason Williams and David Lee, who was also a 2-time NBA All-Star.
Pelphrey wasted no time making an immediate impact at Alabama on the recruiting trail. With the help of Pelphrey and assistant coach Antoine Pettway, head coach Avery Johnson signed one of the most heralded recruiting classes in program history. The 2017 signing class boasted two players among the top-25 recruits in the country, both five-star recruits as listed by Rivals.com, as well as two four-star players and a three-star, while four of the five signees were ranked among the top-100 players in the nation, according to the site. Combined, the Alabama signing class was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation.
Prior to working as an analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network during the 2015-16 basketball season, Pelphrey spent four seasons (2011-15) in what was his second go around as an assistant coach at the University of Florida. During his 10 total years with the Gators, Pelphrey was instrumental in helping the team win four SEC championships and make a total of seven NCAA tournament appearances, which included the 2000 national championship game, 2014 Final Four, Elite Eight appearances in 2012 and 2013 and the Sweet 16 in 1999.
Sandwiched in between his two stints as an assistant coach at Florida, the Paintsville, Ky., native earned head coach positions at South Alabama for five seasons from 2002-07 and Arkansas for four seasons from 2007-11. Pelphrey holds a career 149-122 record (.550) as head coach, including an 80-63 (.559) mark at South Alabama and a record of 69-59 (.539) at Arkansas.
In 2007, Pelphrey was tabbed to head the Arkansas program and responded by leading the team to 23 wins in 2007-08, the best total by a first-year coach in the school’s history. They also went to the SEC Tournament final and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That squad finished with a 23-12 record and posted a 6-2 record against ranked opponents. Those 23 wins were the most at Arkansas since 1999.
Pelphrey began his coaching career following one season playing professionally in France and Spain.
Pelphrey played two years at Kentucky under Sutton and three under Rick Pitino. Part of UK’s class known as “The Unforgettables,” he was inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2005 and named the Wildcats’ Student-Athlete of the Year in 1989. His jersey number (No. 34) was retired in 1992. During his Kentucky career, he started 90 of 114 games and finished with a career scoring average of 11.0 points.
Named Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky as a senior at Paintsville High School in 1987, he scored 2,477 points and grabbed 1,316 rebounds in his career.
Pelphrey is married to the former Tracy Lyon and they have a son, Jaxson, and a daughter, Grace.
