Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Director, Player Development and Athletics Culture
- Email:
- aguin@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-4551
Dr. Arnie Guin enters his third year working primarily with the Alabama men’s basketball program as the director of player development athletic culture. Guin, who has more than 30 years of experience as a pastor, counselor, mental skills coach and professor, also aids with women’s basketball and gymnastic programs, primarily assisting Crimson Tide student-athletes and staff with a number of things including team culture, mental skills and counseling.
Guin (pronounced GYOO-in), who was a registered psychotherapist in the state of Colorado, first began working with head coach Nate Oats at Buffalo during an era of unprecedented success in the men’s basketball program. He continues in a full-time role in Tuscaloosa as a life skills counselor and one of the few official “mental skills coaches” in all of college basketball.
Oats directly attributed much of the Buffalo men’s basketball program’s success during his tenure to the work Guin did behind-the-scenes with the student-athletes, coaches and staff in terms of setting the culture for the program. And it’s no coincidence that the over the past two seasons, Guin’s expertise has helped the program return to the national collegiate basketball scene while coming off one of its most historic season in the 109 years of Alabama basketball.
Over the past two seasons, the work Guin has put in behind the scenes has helped translate into on-court success. Alabama has compiled an overall record of 42-22 (.656) over the two years, including a 24-12 (.667) mark in SEC play. That includes a historic 2021-22 campaign in which Alabama captured its first conference championship in 19 years (dating back to 2002), first tournament championship in 30 years (dating back to 1991) and first Sweet 16 showing in 17 years (dating back to 2004).
"I'm excited that Arnie is a part of our program here at Alabama," Oats said. "He was a crucial part of the culture we were able to build at Buffalo and it continues to be the pillars of our program here in Tuscaloosa. He brings a wisdom in dealing with people and a passion for serving others that enables everyone around him to come closer to reaching their potential. To have someone of his caliber on staff to help our players grow into high-character young men was important to me in our building of our culture."
The results were similar at Buffalo, which reached unprecedented heights with the men’s basketball program, making consecutive NCAA Tournament Round of 32 appearances, earning a pair of MAC Tournament and regular season championships and owning a combined record of 59-13 (.819). The 59 victories set a school record for a two-year span, while Buffalo’s 32 wins during the 2018-19 campaign was also a single-season high for the program.
During his time in the New York area, Guin operated a consulting firm in Buffalo and had a decade of experience working with athletes on their confidence and approach in life, including working with a number of professional as well as collegiate athletes across a variety of sports.
While working with the men’s basketball program, he and Oats collaborated to create “The Bulls’ Way of Life,” a year-long mental skills training curriculum that included a summer seminar, weekly meetings with the team, pregame visualizations and one-on-one counseling.
In addition to his work in the sports world, Guin has served various roles in in the ministry field, most recently serving as the executive director and lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Grand Island, N.Y.
Before making the move to New York, Guin was based in Colorado where he was a registered psychotherapist. He also worked as an adjunct professor at Colorado Christian University and was the executive director of business and medical careers.
In Colorado, Guin began his working with professional athletes who competed in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Through his work with high-profile players, Guin gained the experience and knowledge to work with elite athletes, focusing on the mental skillset needed in order to be successful both on and off the court.
Guin, who recently became certified in positive psychology, earned his doctorate of ministry from Newburgh Theological Seminary in 2011. He also holds a masters of divinity from Western Seminary (2000) and earned his bachelors in communication from Puget Sound Christian College (1997).
Guin and his wife, Hope, have two grown children, Seth and Mya.
