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Jeff Battle, known nationally as one of college
basketball's top assistant coaches, begins his
fourth season at Wake Forest as associate head coach
and his 20th season overall in the coaching
profession.
Battle joins head coach Skip Prosser for the 12th
straight year and at his third different school. He
was on the Loyola (MD) College staff in 1993-94 when
Prosser made his head coaching debut, then joined
him on the sidelines at Xavier for seven seasons
before coming to Winston-Salem prior to the start of
the 2001-02 season.
Battle has been instrumental in Wake Forest's
success the past three seasons as the Deacons won
the 2003 ACC regular season title and have averaged
more than 22 wins per season. Battle, a tireless
recruiter, has helped bring in three consecutive
blue-ribbon recruiting classes.
"I believe in what we are striving to accomplish as
a coaching staff and as an athletic department,"
Battle said. "It truly is an exciting time to be at
Wake Forest."
At both Wake Forest and at Xavier, Battle
concentrated his expertise on the development of the
guards. Josh Howard, a 2003 NBA first-round draft
pick, credits Battle with his emergence as an
all-around player. At Xavier, Battle played a big
role in helping James Posey make the transition from
post player to perimeter player.
At Xavier, Battle was instrumental in the
Musketeers' success from 1995 through 2001. During
his seven seasons at Xavier, the Musketeers won 20
games or more six times while advancing to
postseason play six times, including five NCAA
Tournament appearances. Xavier averaged more than 21
wins per season during Battle's tenure on the
sidelines.
In 1993-94 at Loyola, Battle was a part of one of
college basketball's greatest turnarounds. The year
before Prosser and Battle arrived at Loyola, the
Greyhounds were a dismal 2-25. But Loyola turned its
fortunes around under Prosser's staff; finishing
17-13 and making the NCAA Tournament for the only
time in school history.
Prior to Loyola, Battle was an assistant coach for
three seasons at Delaware State. The 1990-91 Hornets
set a school record for victories with 19 and had
the school's best-ever MEAC mark at 10-6.
In 1989 and 1990, Battle served as head coach at
Caesar Rodney High School in Dover, DE.
Battle, 42, began his college coaching career as a
graduate assistant at Marshall University (1985-86)
under head coach Rick Huckaby and as a graduate
assistant at Delaware (1986-88) under coach Steve
Steinwedel. Both teams enjoyed success during that
time. Marshall was 19-11 in 1985-86, while Delaware
was 31-25 from 1986-88.
"Jeff is truly a terrific coach as well as being a
tremendous person," Prosser said. "An outstanding
recruiter, Jeff also excels at coaching basketball.
"Jeff did a particularly stellar job of preparing
Josh Howard for the NBA individual tryouts that
preceded the draft. Our players at Wake are truly
blessed to have Jeff as a teacher and mentor."
Battle's success as a coach followed an illustrious
career as a player. He played four seasons at
Marshall, helping the Thundering Herd compile a
record of 82-38 from 1982-85. Battle was the
starting point guard and a captain in his junior and
senior seasons, guiding Marshall to two consecutive
NCAA Tournament berths.
Battle, born Oct. 26, 1961 in Philadelphia, received
his bachelor's degree in physical education from
Marshall. He received his master's degree in
physical education from Delaware in 1988. Battle and
his wife, Joyce, reside in Winston-Salem with their
son, Jordan (age 9). |
