|
 James
“Bruiser” Flint begins his fifth season as the head
coach of the Drexel basketball program. Flint has
established Drexel as one of the top programs in the
Colonial Athletic Association since arriving on the
University City campus. This past season, the
Dragons were invited to their third-straight
National Invitation Tournament. A two-time CAA Coach
of the Year, Flint’s Dragons have won at least 11
conference games in each of his seasons at Drexel.
Only two other schools in the CAA have matched that
feat during that time. He has a 68-49 record at the
school and an impressive 48-24 (.667) mark in CAA
play. Flint is already fifth in career victories at
Drexel. Since his arrival, the Dragons have had the
CAA Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions,
have had seven All-CAA selections and five members
of the conference’s All-Defensive team.
Last season, despite key injuries to a number of
players, Drexel had a 17-12 mark and a 12-6 record
in the CAA. The Dragons had their highest RPI rating
since the Malik Rose years and took Mid American
Conference runner-up Buffalo to overtime on its home
court in the opening round of the NIT. This past
summer, Flint was named the Assistant Coach for the
USA Under 21 World Championship Team that played in
Argentina.
In 2003-04, Flint was named the CAA Coach of the
Year after leading a team picked to finish in a tie
for fourth place to a second place finish with a
13-5 league record. The Dragons won 12 of their last
15 regular-season games and finished just one game
behind Virginia Commonwealth. Overall, Flint’s team
finished 18-11 and advanced to the NIT for the
second-straight season. The Dragons lost at
Villanova in the first round.
In his second season, Flint returned the Dragons to
the postseason for the first time in six years.
Drexel won 19 games and finished with a 12-6 record
in the CAA. The Dragons won two games at the CAA
Tournament and advanced to the championship game.
Drexel lost in the finals, but was rewarded with a
bid to the National Invitation Tournament, only the
sixth postseason appearance in the school’s history.
Flint, who owns a 154-121 career record, returned
home to his native Philadelphia when he took over as
Drexel’s head coach on April 5, 2001. In his first
year, Flint led a team that was picked to finish
ninth in the CAA to an 11-7 mark, tying them for
third in the league. The Dragons finished with a
14-14 record. For his efforts, Flint was named the
CAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Flint picked
up his 100th career victory in Drexel’s 68-65 win
against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 18, 2002.
Flint arrived at Drexel after a 12-year stint at
UMass. He was an assistant coach for seven seasons
before becoming the school’s 17th head basketball
coach. He compiled an 86-72 career record, including
a 52-28 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play at
UMass. He led three of his teams to postseason play
and was the NABC District I Co-Coach of the Year in
1998. Flint was the fastest coach in UMass history
to reach 30 wins and was the winningest first-year
coach ever at UMass. He spent two seasons as an
assistant coach at Coppin State University before
joining the UMass staff.
A 1987 Saint Joseph’s graduate, Flint, 39, was a
four-year letterwinner with the Hawks. He earned
All-Atlantic 10 honors as a senior and led Saint
Joseph’s to the 1986 A-10 championship and a berth
in the NCAA Tournament as a junior. The Hawks also
made NIT appearances in 1984 and 1985. He was
inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Hall of
Fame in 1998 and graduated with a degree in
financial management.
Flint graduated from nearby Episcopal Academy in
1983. He was a First Team All-Philadelphia and Third
Team All-State selection following his senior
season. Flint finished his prep career ranked second
on the Inter-Academic Conference’s all-time scoring
and assist lists, and was named the league’s MVP as
a senior.
Flint, his wife, Rene, and their nine year-old
daughter, Jada, reside in Philadelphia. |
