Sampson Adds Jimmy Tubbs To Basketball Coaching Staff

May 14, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. - University of Oklahoma men's head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson announced the addition of Jimmy Tubbs to his coaching staff today. Tubbs, an assistant at SMU the past 12 years, fills the vacancy on Sampson's staff created when former assistant Ray Lopes was named Fresno State's head coach on April 3.

Heavily involved in a variety of phases with the SMU program including scouting, game preparation, strategic planning, academic support and administrative facilitation, Tubbs is known for his intense work ethic and recruiting ability. With Tubbs' assistance, the SMU program improved dramatically over the past six seasons, a period in which it won 103 games.

"Personally, this is a great opportunity," said Tubbs. "But it's also a great opportunity for me to help Coach Sampson and the University of Oklahoma win a national championship. That's the goal. I'll have to find my niche in this program. I'm not coming here for the ride. I believe in hard work and it's no secret that Coach Sampson does, too. I want to be an extension of him. He's a great basketball coach and I've always respected him."

One of Tubbs' primary focuses under SMU head coach Mike Dement was the improvement of the Mustangs' recruiting presence in the state of Texas. After signing just 11 players from the state (only five from the Dallas area) in the previous 11 years, SMU landed 15 Texas-based recruits the past seven seasons, including 10 who earned high school All-State recognition.

Tubbs' work has helped earn him respect among high school and college coaches throughout the country. He was a finalist for the head coaching positions at Southwest Texas in 2000 and at North Texas in 2001.

"I think the first things you look for when hiring an assistant coach are integrity and honesty," said Sampson. "Is he a good person and is he good for young people? Will he be respected and good in our community? Coach Tubbs is tremendous in all of those areas. He comes from a great institution and he has a great track record of recruiting student-athletes. It's amazing how many people called on his behalf during the interview process.

"I felt when we lost Coach Lopes to Fresno State we had to replace him with a high-caliber person, because that's what Coach Lopes is. I think we've done that by hiring Coach Tubbs."

Commented Dement, "Jimmy has had a tremendous run at SMU both during his five years under John Shumate and in his last seven seasons with me. He has always had specific career goals in mind and with his success recruiting the Dallas area I always knew there was a chance we would lose him. He has passed on numerous job offers in the last three to four years, but I knew when Coach Sampson called that Jimmy would be excited about the opportunity with OU's national success and recent Final Four trip."

"He has always been very well respected in this area and well-liked by our players and his departure will create a void for us that we will have to work to overcome. I predict he will be successful at Oklahoma just as he was here. We wish him the best."

Prior to arriving at SMU, Tubbs was the head coach at Kimball High School in Dallas for eight years. He guided the Knights to a 232-42 record, which culminated in his final season with the Texas class 5-A state title. Tubbs' Kimball teams enjoyed five 30-win seasons. He earned district coach-of-the-year honors five times and was the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Coach of the Year twice. During Kimball's state championship season (1989-90), Tubbs was chosen as the Texas High School Boys' Coach of the Year.

Tubbs received his degree in history from Bishop College in 1972 and a master's of education in guidance and counseling from Prairie View A&M in 1976. Born in Oakwood, Texas, Tubbs has one son, Andrew (16).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sampson Adds Jimmy Tubbs To Basketball Coaching Staff

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