HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University President Nido R. Qubein announced the hiring of Alan Huss as the new men's basketball head coach Monday, March 27, 2023 inside the
Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
Huss became the 14th men's basketball head coach in program history. He received a contract extension on March 6, 2025.
"I would like to thank President Qubein, for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead the men's basketball program at High Point University," Huss said. "From the start of this process, it was evident that there is strong institutional alignment, from Dr.
Qubein through Dan Hauser and the entire athletic department. I am humbled and excited to work towards elevating the men's basketball program to a championship level in line with the overall excellence at High Point University."
No other coach has done it quite like Coach Huss has in only two seasons. In in his two seasons at the helm, he has compiled and overall record of 56-15 with a 27-5 Big South record becoming the fastest coach in Big South history to reach 50 wins in just 64 games. Huss led the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance as the No. 13 seed and matched up against No. 4 seed Purdue in Providence, Rhode Island.
The program's first-ever two-time Big South Coach of the Year turned around an under .500 program and guided the Panthers to back-to-back outright Big South Regular Season titles for the first time in program history. High Point became the first team in the Big South since 2011 (Coastal Carolina) to win back-to-back outright regular season titles.
The Panthers have posted two back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in the DI era and the sixth 20-win season in program history. On the home court, the Panthers have protected the extraordinary Qubein Center with only three losses, posting a record of 31-3. In back-to-back seasons, the Panthers set the non-conference win record since becoming Division I in 1999, recording 11 wins in 2023-24 and 12 wins in 2024-25.
During the 2024-25 season, HPU finished with an overall record of 29-6, which ties for the most wins in Big South program history (Winthrop, 2006-07) and the most wins in HPU program history. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 26-5 record and a 14-2 league record. The 26 regular-season wins is the most in program history and tied the Big South regular-season wins record with Coastal Carolina's 2010-11 season (26-4). The Panthers also set the best win percentage in Division I era with an 88-percent win percentage in conference play and an 84-percentage win percentage in the regular season.
Since cracking the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 on December 22, 2023, the Panthers have remained in the Top 25 for 34 consecutive weeks which ranks as the second longest streak in Big South history. High Point reached as high as No. 5 on February 5, 2024 and finished the 2024-25 regular season on March 17, 2025 ranked No. 8. High Point also received votes in the Associated Press poll four times during the 2024-25 season, receiving as many as four votes in the poll on March 3, 2025.
Four Panthers earned postseason honors. Juslin Bodo Bodo was named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference player for the second season while Kimani Hamilton and Kezza Giffa were also named to the First Team All-Conference selections. D'Maurian Williams was named to the Second Team All-Conference selections. After the Big South Tournament, Bobby Pettiford was named to the All-Tournament Team and the Tournament MVP while Hamilton and Giffa were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Coach Huss was named a finalist for the 2024-25 Hugh Durham Award which is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.
Taking over at the helm in the spring of 2023, Coach Huss guided the Panthers to an overall record of 27-9 during the 2023-24 season, which is the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history, and the most wins in HPU's NCAA Division I era. The team finished the conference regular season with an overall record of 13-3 and were crowned the Big South regular season champs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, earning the No. 1 seed at the Big South Tournament. Coach Huss was named the Big South Coach of the Year while
Juslin Bodo Bodo was named the Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year and
Duke Miles was named the Newcomer of the Year. Miles, Kimani Hamilton & Kezza Giffa were named to the First Team All-Conference selections while Bodo Bodo and Titas Sargiunas were named to the All-Freshman team.
Hosting the Big South Tournament, the Panthers made it to the semifinals and fell in overtime to Longwood (80-79). Following the Big South Tournament HPU was invited to participate at the College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Florida which was the Panthers first postseason tournament since the 2015-16 season. Earning the No. 1 seed, High Point defeated Cleveland State and Arkansas State before falling to Seattle University in the Championship game.
Coach Huss transformed an entire new team (11 newcomers) and coaching staff that was picked seventh in the Big South Preseason polls, to a regular season championship team in less than a year.
Out of 31 rookie head coaches across the country, Coach Huss finished with the most wins with 27.
During the season, Coach Huss was named a "mid-season" recipient for the 2024 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award in early January and was later named the ESPN Coach of the Week in the Men's Power Rankings on January 29, 2024. As a team, High Point University was named the Field of 68 Mid-Major Team of the Week on February 6, 2024, along with Indiana State, after going 2-0 at home with wins over Longwood University and Presbyterian College in league play. Coach Huss produced seven Big South Players of the Week and 12 Big South Freshman of the Week, as Bodo Bodo recorded nine Freshman of the Week awards for a Big South and program record in a single season. Giffa was named one of five players to the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week on January 21. On January 11, Miles was named to the Lou Henson Award watch list and became the third Panther to be named to the mid-season watch list in program history.
HPU cracked the College Insider mid-major top 25 on December 22
nd and never dropped from the top 25, reaching as high as No. 5 on February 5 during the 2023-24 season. At one point in the season, the Panthers held the longest active win streak in the country with 12-straight wins (December19 - February 7).
After earning his first official win as the new head coach on November 6 over St. Andrews, 105-51, Coach Huss guided the team in pursuing multiple program records throughout the season. HPU knocked down 21 three-pointers as a team against St. Andrews, blowing the previous record (15, vs. GWU in 2012) out of the water. The team registered 13 threes in one half and also tied the program record for the most rebounds in a single game with 61. Six games later, the Panthers recorded the second most points scored in a single-game in program history with the 122-73 win over Mount Olive. Through most of the season the Panthers were top in the country in free-throws made, free-throws attempted, and free-throw percentage. The team also finished top-10 in scoring offense averaging just over 84 points per game.
Huss spent the last six seasons at his alma mater Creighton University under the leadership of head coach Greg McDermott. As an assistant, Huss worked closely with the power forwards, while also playing a big role in the development of the team's offense, scouting, and recruiting. Huss was elevated to associate head coach in 2021 after the Bluejays reached multiple program firsts.
In 2019-2020, Creighton won its first Big East regular season title after being picked seventh in the preseason. Huss was a vital part of Creighton's No. 7 nationally-ranked 2021-2022 recruiting class, which was the same season the Bluejays advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. During the 2022-23 season, Huss helped guide the Bluejays to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1941 after a third-place finish in the Big East Conference.
In Huss' six seasons at Creighton, he helped shape and mold several players into some of the nation's top post players, including Martin Krampelj, Christian Bishop, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Kalkbrenner — a junior on the 2022-23 team and key member of the USA Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup — was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Before returning to his alma mater, Huss had a three-year stint at the University of New Mexico as an assistant coach. From 2014-17, the Lobos compiled 49 victories behind three straight MWC top-three recruiting classes. Alike opportunities at Creighton as an assistant coach, Huss had interim head coach duties.
Huss worked himself up the prep ranks before entering the college coaching realm at New Mexico. After spending four seasons at the helm of the prep program at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana, he amassed an impressive 102-19 record for a team that was regularly ranked as one of the top high school programs in the nation. His record included a perfect 62-0 home record at Marsch Gymnasium. Huss coached more than three dozen Division I products at the high school level, including former NBA guard Darington Hobson.
Prior to his time at La Lumiere, Huss was the head coach at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, where he set the school record for wins in each of his final two seasons with the Eagles, as well as Decatur Christian.
In all, Huss coached four McDonald's All Americans, six NBA Draft picks, while recruiting three top-10 recruiting classes, coaching in three Geico High School National Tournaments and seven NCAA Tournaments.
Huss was a four-year member on the men's basketball team from 1997 to 2001. Playing under head coach Dana Altman and alongside future NBA star Kyle Korver, Huss was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams (1999-2001), two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1999 & 2000) and one MVC regular-season title (1999). Huss totaled 94 games as a Bluejay with 39 starts. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in business administration from Creighton in 2002.
The 6-foot-9-inch Huss was a prep standout at North Kansas City High School. He averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Hornets en route to All-Kansas City metro honors as a senior. Following his final season at North Kansas City High, he was selected to the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association and Missouri-Kansas All-Star games.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Huss and his wife Katie have two daughters, Nicky and Mary. He met Katie at Creighton as she was a 2002 graduate as well, while Nicky recently committed to play basketball at Truman State.
What They're Saying About Coach Huss
"High Point University is a values-based university, and that was an important factor for us in selecting Alan Huss as the Men's Basketball Head Coach," President Qubein said. "Not only do Alan's values align with the University's, but Alan is also a proven leader and coach who comes to us literally from an Elite Eight finish at Creighton, where he has served as associate head coach. He knows the game as a player who reached the NCAA Tournament three times and as an associate head coach, Alan is respected as one of the nation's top recruiters. We welcome Alan and his family to the HPU family, and we look forward to Alan's leadership, experience, and energy as we continue to build excellence in athletics at High Point University."
"Alan Huss is an elite basketball coach with the reputation and experience of a national recruiter and an exceptional teacher of the game," HPU Vice President/Athletic Director Dan Hauser said. "We are thrilled to have him lead our HPU Men's Basketball program to championship success. We welcome Alan and his wife Katie, daughters Nicky and Mary, to the High Point University family."
"I couldn't be more excited for Alan and his family as they begin a new chapter at High Point. His tireless work ethic and ability to evaluate talent, while developing the necessary relationships in recruiting is second to none. In his role as associate head coach, I have leaned heavily on Alan with virtually every decision we have made within our program. He has played an instrumental part in the sustained success of Bluejay basketball. He has great report with student-athletes, staff, and boosters. Alan, along with his wife Katie, and daughters, Nicky and Mary, will ingrain themselves in the High Point Community. He will implement a brand of basketball that Panther fans will enjoy. I wish Alan and High Point Basketball a tremendous amount of success moving forward." – Greg McDermott, Men's Basketball Head Coach, Creighton University
"I've been fortunate to know Alan for a long time and am very proud of him and excited he's getting this opportunity. He's a great young coach that's helped build an outstanding program at Creighton, first as a player and now as a coach. Alan has a wonderful family and will bring many leadership qualities to High Point's basketball program. I know he'll do an unbelievable job." — Dana Altman, Men's Basketball Head Coach, Oregon University
"Al Huss is an outstanding teacher who is passionate, intelligent and possesses extremely high character. We are tremendously grateful to Al and his family for all they did for Creighton University and wish him continued success at High Point University." - Bruce Rasmussen, Creighton AD (1994-2021) & Chairman of NCAA selection committee
