Jimmy Tubbs Named Head Coach at SMU

After serving the last two years as an OU men's basketball assistant coach, Jimmy Tubbs was named head coach at SMU at a news conference Friday morning.

Tubbs, who helped the Sooners compile a 47-18 (.723) record the last two seasons, returns to the school where he coached as an assistant for 12 seasons before his OU stint. Tubbs replaces Mike Dement, who coached at SMU for nine seasons.

“I left here two years ago and I left crying,” Tubbs said at the news conference on the floor of Moody Coliseum on SMU's campus. “I came back last night smiling. I did not come to date SMU, I came here to marry SMU. You have to understand that. I'm back home.”

OU head coach Kelvin Sampson said, “We're very proud of Jimmy Tubbs. The tradition and success of the Oklahoma program has benefited our assistants in the pursuit of head coaching jobs the last several years. The loyalty, hard work and professionalism displayed by Coach Tubbs have paid off for him. We're extremely happy that he has this opportunity.”

Tubbs, 55, becomes the third OU assistant coach to land a head coaching position in the last five years. Jason Rabedeaux was named head coach at UTEP following the 1998-99 season and Ray Lopes was hired by Fresno State following OU's 2001-02 Final Four campaign.

Prior to his two years at Oklahoma, Tubbs spent 12 seasons at SMU as an assistant under Dement and John Shumate. Tubbs saw SMU's basketball program reach new heights and was an integral part of helping the Mustangs capture the Southwest Conference title and reach the NCAA Tournament in 1992-93. In Tubbs' last six seasons at SMU, the Mustangs won 103 games and posted six straight 15-or-more-win seasons.

Before his first stint 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 1989-90 state championship season, Tubbs was chosen as the Texas High School Boys' Coach of the Year.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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