|
 Heeding
the call to return to his roots, suburban Berwyn
native Jerry Wainwright returned to Chicago and
became DePaul’s 11th head men’s basketball coach on
April 28, 2005.
Wainwright comes to DePaul after 11 successful
seasons as a head coach including the last three at
Richmond. His career record is 186-144 (.564) and he
has taken his teams to six postseason tournaments
(three NCAA and three NIT).
Wainwright continued his winning ways in his three
seasons at Richmond. Several team and individual
accomplishments highlighted his tenure with the
Atlantic 10 school as the Spiders established
themselves on the national stage.
In 2003-04 Wainwright returned Richmond to the NCAA
Tournament, earning the program’s second-ever,
at-large berth. The nation's ninth-ranked defense
lifted the Spiders to new heights including a win at
10th-ranked Kansas sandwiched between road victories
at Temple and Xavier. After a spirited run through
the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Wainwright’s crew was
rewarded for its tough schedule with an NCAA berth.
The Spiders fell Wisconsin 76-64 in the opening
round at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
In Wainwright's first season, the Spiders used a
nationally-ranked defense to post 16 wins and a
berth to the NIT where they fell at Providence in
the opening round.
Prior to taking over at Richmond, Wainwright enjoyed
a highly successful run as head coach at UNC
Wilmington. In eight seasons at UNCW, he compiled a
136-103 (.569) record. Wainwright piloted the
Seahawks to a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament
(2000, 2002) and the National Invitation Tournament
(1998, 2001). In addition, he directed the team to
its first post-season berth, first 20-win season
(1998) and the first win in the NCAA Tournament, a
stunning 93-89 triumph over Southern California.
During his tenure, the team captured three regular
season Colonial Athletic Association titles and two
CAA tournament crowns. The Seahawks averaged nearly
17 wins per season under his tutelage and were
ranked nationally in team defense each campaign.
A year after taking over the UNCW program from in
1994, Wainwright had built the seventh-best schedule
in the country. The Seahawks suffocating defense was
ranked fifth in the nation in 1995-96, allowing just
58.4 points per game.
Wainwright orchestrated one of the most memorable
campaigns in UNCW history during the 1999-00 season
when the Seahawks grabbed their first CAA
Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for
the first time in the history of the program.
In 2000-01, Wainwright earned CAA Coach of the Year
honors for the second time.
The Seahawks posted their most impressive season
ever in 2001-02, compiling a 22-9 mark, capturing
the conference crown outright for the second
straight season and advancing to their second NCAA
Tournament. His team finished among the nation's
best in team defense, ranking 17th in the country.
Wainwright himself has touched every step on his
ascent towards the top of the coaching ladder. Prior
to arriving at Wilmington, he spent nine years as an
assistant coach at Wake Forest. Under both Bob Staak
(1986-89) and Dave Odom (1989-94), he helped rebuild
the Demon Deacons' program into a national power.
In Winston-Salem, Wainwright helped Wake Forest
collect a school-record four straight NCAA
Tournament berths and register back-to-back 20-win
seasons for the first time in a decade. Besides
on-the-court coaching, he assisted in recruiting NBA
draft picks Chris King (Seattle), Rodney Rogers
(Denver), Randolph Childress (Detroit) and Tim
Duncan (San Antonio). He broke into the college
coaching ranks in 1984-85 serving a one-year stint
at Xavier under Staak.
Wainwright began his coaching career in the prep
ranks first at Montrose High School in Denver where
he led his team to the state tournament and was
named Colorado District Coach of the Year in 1975.
He returned to his native state, Illinois, as an
assistant coach at East Leyden High School in
suburban Franklin Park. While there, Wainwright
helped teams compile an amazing 104-4 four-year
record. Wainwright also coached at Highland Park
High School in Highland Park, Ill., directing his
team to the state's "Sweet 16" in 1982. He was named
the district Coach of the Year twice.
A 1968 graduate of Colorado College in Colorado
Springs, Colo. with a B.A degree, Wainwright earned
his graduate degree from the University of Denver in
1971.
A native of Berwyn, Ill., Wainwright is married to
the former Debbie Tedesco and the couple has two
sons, Brett (32) and Scott (28). In addition, they
have two grandchildren, Alexis and Brett. |
