|
 After
a season of transition, third-year head coach Darrin
Horn has the Western Kentucky basketball program on
course to meet his main goal when he accepted the
job in May 2003 — a return to winning games in the
NCAA Tournament.
Horn, 32, took a huge step in that direction last
season after leading the Hilltoppers to an 88-80
victory over Kent State in the opening round of the
NIT, the school’s first win in a national postseason
tournament since he was a senior on the 1994-95
Topper squad. Western finished the year 22-9 — the
victory total was the second-highest for a coach in
his second season on the Hill (John Oldham guided
WKU to a 25-3 mark in 1965-66) — while receiving
votes in the Associated Press poll for the first
time since December 2002. Western improved to 9-5 in
the Sun Belt Conference and advanced to the
semifinals of the league tournament.
His efforts helped Anthony Winchester earn
first-team all-Sun Belt honors as well as all-region
recognition from both the National Association of
Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball
Writers Association, while Courtney Lee was the
league’s Freshman of the Year.
The Hilltoppers ranked 20th in the nation in scoring
offense, and also stood among the top 50 (out of 326
schools) in field-goal percentage (46th — 46.2%) and
three-point field-goals per contest (46th — 7.7 per
game). Not only did the Toppers pace the Sun Belt in
two of those categories (scoring and
three-pointers), they led the league with a
plus-3.39 turnover margin while finishing among the
top three in nine other statistical rankings.
Horn ended the 2004-05 campaign with a two-season
record of 37-22, a 62.7 winning percentage.
In his first season as a head coach, Horn led the
Hilltoppers to 15 wins and a second-place finish in
the Sun Belt Conference East Division. Under his
direction, Western had two of the league’s five
first-team all-conference performers — Mike Wells
was selected both the SBC Player and Defensive
Player of the Year, while Nigel Dixon was named the
Newcomer of the Year.
WKU ranked second in the Sun Belt in scoring average
with 76.3 points per contest while leading the
league in shooting percentage for the first time
since his playing days (1994-95). The Toppers
finshed the year sixth in the country in rebounding
margin and were also 35th in scoring.
And, Horn is not afraid to challenge his squad, as
the Hilltoppers have faced three different
Southeastern Conference opponents (Auburn, Georgia,
Mississippi State) as well as Virginia out of the
Atlantic Coast Conference in his first two years on
the bench.
“Darrin Horn has WKU basketball on course for
sustained national prominence. Coach Horn is one of
the best head coaches in the country given his
knowledge of the game, integrity, personality and
philosophy of play,” said Western Director of
Athletics Dr. Wood Selig. “He is a player’s coach.
His youthfulness makes it very easy for him to
connect with today’s high school stars. WKU could
not have a better role model or leader for our
program than our very own former basketball standout
Darrin Horn.”
Horn lettered four years, starting the final three,
to help lead the Hilltoppers to four consecutive
20-win seasons, two Sun Belt Conference
championships and a pair of SBC Tournament titles.
Horn was one of three players to assist Western in
reaching national postseason play in four
consecutive seasons for the first time in school
history, as the Toppers qualified for the 1992
National Invitation Tournament and followed with
three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
In fact, he was a key member of the last Hilltopper
team to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament
after WKU defeated Memphis State (and Anfernee
“Penny” Hardaway) and second-seeded Seton Hall on
the opening weekend of the 1993 event.
He was the 32nd player in school history to score
1,000 points, currently ranking 30th with 1,115 in
125 games. He also stands fifth with 139 steals,
seventh with a 36.7 three-point field goal
percentage and 10th after playing 3,084 minutes, and
is the Hilltoppers’ all-time leader among four-year
players after converting 80.8 percent from the
free-throw line. Horn is one of seven players in
school annals to make at least four three-point
field goals in a game without a miss, and he stands
seventh on the season record list after shooting
44.2 percent from three-point range his final year.
An all-Sun Belt selection as a senior in 1995, Horn
averaged 12.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 assists
per game as Western finished 27-4 (the second-best
record in the country that year behind NCAA champion
UCLA), including a 17-1 conference mark on the way
to regular-season and tournament championships, with
an NCAA first-round victory over Michigan. He was
also named WKU’s Athlete of the Year that season,
and was voted third-team GTE Academic All-America.
Horn averaged just under 10 points per game the
previous two years as the Toppers reached the NCAA
Tournament. The team was 20-11 his junior season,
advancing to the tournament after winning the
conference championship with a 14-4 mark. As a
sophomore, Western posted a 26-6 overall record,
14-4 in the SBC, while advancing to the NCAA
Tournament Sweet 16. And, the Hilltoppers conclude
the 1992 season — Horn’s first year on the team —
21-11 after earning an invite to the NIT.
In fact, Horn holds the distinction of being the
only player in the school’s 86 years of basketball
to score the team’s first points in each of his four
seasons.
Not only does Horn have NCAA experience as a player,
but he has also tasted success on the bench — he
returned to the Hill after serving as an assistant
coach at Marquette for four years, helping lead the
school to its first NCAA Final Four since 1977 in
his final season with the Golden Eagles.
His primary responsibilities at Marquette included
serving as the recruiting coordinator along with
game and practice preparation. With his help, he
recruited two Parade All-Americans, three top 30
student-athletes and seven top 100 players committed
to MU — his best incoming class was ranked 11th in
the nation. Horn helped the Golden Eagles reach the
2003 Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, as they
concluded the season 27-6 overall while ending
Cincinnati’s seven-year reign as Conference USA
champion after winning the league with a 14-2 mark.
MU had a winning record in each of his four years on
the staff, improving its league standing each season
and posting an overall record of 83-41 during his
tenure.
Horn was an assistant at Morehead State from
1997-99, and began his career in the coaching ranks
as an assistant at Western from 1995-97 following
his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in allied
language arts in ’95.
He started for three years at Tates Creek High
School in Lexington, Ky., earning first-team
all-state honors as a senior a year after collecting
honorable mention accolades. Following his last year
with the Commodores, Horn was selected to play in
both the McDonald’s Derby City Festival All-America
Classic and the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game. He
was also named Fayette County Player of the Year,
area co-Player of the Year and was a three-time
all-city pick. And, he was twice voted first-team
academic all-state.
Horn, is married to the former Carla Walker, also a
Western alumnus. The couple have one daughter,
Caroline (5), and one son, Walker (2). |
