April 17, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Willis Wilson, the former head coach at Rice University, and Glynn Cyprien, a longtime collegiate assistant coach, both have been recommended to join the Memphis men's basketball coaching staff, head coach Josh Pastner announced Friday. Wilson's and Cyprien's hirings are pending approval of the University and Tennessee State Board of Regents.

"Willis and Glynn are two great additions to our staff, and I'm looking forward to them coming on board," said Pastner. "Both are energetic, hard workers, and they will give that extra effort to help this program be successful. That's the kind of people I was looking for when I searched to find the right mix for this program.

"Willis brings years of collegiate coaching experience to the staff, and he knows the ins and outs of Conference USA because he coached in the league. Many are aware of how Glynn is known throughout the South as a top recruiter, but he also has the reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters. He has the ability to evaluate talent, and I am confident he can help bring in some of the top players to Memphis."

Wilson led the Rice Owl hoops program for 16 seasons from 1993-2008 and compiled a record of 219-246. During his tenure, Wilson's Owl program played in three different conferences - Southwest (SWC), Western Athletic (WAC) and Conference USA. In his last three seasons (2006-08), Wilson coached in C-USA and guided the Owls to an 8-8 league record in the 2006-07 campaign. That Rice squad - led by All-America and NBA first-round draft pick Morris Almond - finished seventh in the league and advanced to the C-USA Tournament semifinals.

Before his Owls entered C-USA in 2005-06, Wilson's Rice teams averaged 20 wins per season in his final three years in the WAC (2003-05). His 2002-03 (19-10 record) and 2004-05 (19-12) teams won 19 games apiece, while Wilson's 2003-04 squad went 22-11. The 22 victories are tied for the third-most in Rice history for a single season, and it was the program's most wins for a single season since the 1953-54 campaign (23-5 record). Wilson's 2003-04 and 2004-05 teams earned bids to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

For his efforts in 2003-04, Wilson was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 9 Coach of the Year. He was the first Rice coach to receive the NABC honor since the award began in 1970.

Cyprien has coached in the collegiate ranks since the 1987-88 season with his most recent stop being the last two seasons at Kentucky. In his two years on the Wildcat staff, Kentucky had a combined 40-27 record and made consecutive postseason tournaments. The Wildcats played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and 2009 NIT.

Prior to his one year at Arkansas in 2006-07, Cyprien served as the associate head coach at New Mexico State in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 campaigns. In his two seasons in Las Cruces, he helped the Aggies improve from 6-24 in 2004-05 to 16-14 in 2005-06, the second-best turnaround in the country that year.

Before his stint at New Mexico State, Cyprien served as an assistant for Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State for four years (2000-04). The Cowboys had a combined record of 97-32 and made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Oklahoma State's most-successful squad during Cyprien's time in Stillwater came in 2003-04 when the Cowboys went 31-4, swept the Big 12 Conference regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. En route to that 2004 Final Four appearance, Oklahoma State defeated Memphis 70-53 in the second round.

Cyprien also served on staffs at UNLV (1995-2000), Western Kentucky (1994-95), Jacksonville (1991-94), Lamar (1990-91) and Texas-San Antonio (1987-90).