George Ivory Biography

George Ivory, the current head men's basketball coach of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, was born on August 7, 1965. On March 27, 2008, he was named head coach. Ivory previously worked as an assistant at his alma school, Mississippi Valley State University. George Ivory was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, where he attended Murrah High School, one of the country's finest basketball schools. Prior to graduation in 1983, he spent three years at Murrah, where he won various prizes. Ivory graduated from Murrah High School and moved on to Mississippi Valley State University for college. Ivory was named Freshman of the Year, First Team All-SWAC, SWAC Tournament MVP, and Player of the Year in the league during his time at MVSU. Ivory started all four years at Mississippi Valley State, where he still leads the team in scoring, steals, assists, minutes played, and games played. Ivory was drafted by the Wyoming Wildcatters of the CBA after graduating from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor's degree in 1988 and trying out professionally with the Chicago Bulls, Harlem Globetrotters, and Illinois Express. He subsequently returned to Jackson State University to earn his Master's degree in 1996 while serving as a graduate assistant for three years with the Lady Tigers before becoming a full-time assistant under Head Coach Andrew Pennington from 1991 to 1998. JSU won two tournament championships, a regular-season championship, and qualified for the NCAA tournament once. In the fall of 1998, Ivory acquired a similar role as men's assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State University under then-Head Coach Lafayette Stribling, where they had multiple strong recruiting classes and teams that battled for SWAC titles for several years. In the autumn of 2002, Ivory crossed the state line to work as an assistant coach at UAPB under then-Head Coach Van Holt. In 2005-06, Holt and his staff guided the Golden Lions to the SWAC Tournament finals. Ivory moved across another state line in 2006-07, when he was appointed as an assistant coach at Grambling State University by then-Head Coach Larry Wright. In 2007-08, Ivory returned to his alma mater, Mississippi Valley State University, as an assistant coach under then-Head Coach James Green, and helped the team win the SWAC Tournament and progress to the NCAA Tournament first round. Ivory was hired as head coach of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the spring of 2008. The Golden Lions were ranked 9th in the SWAC preseason poll prior to the start of his first season, but UAPB finished 4th in the SWAC during the 2008-09 season. For the first time in school history, Arkansas-Pine Bluff finished conference play with a winning record. The men's basketball team at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff saw remarkable success during the 2009-10 season. After starting the season 0-11, the Golden Lions went on an amazing run that took them all the way to the NCAA tournament. The Golden Lions finished the season with an 18-16 overall record after going 18-5 in their final 23 games. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff won the 2010 SWAC Basketball Tournament for the first time in over four decades (1967). Arkansas-Pine Bluff ended their unbeaten SWAC tournament run with a win over the Winthrop Eagles in the NCAA First Round, breaking a 17-year conference tournament losing streak. In the opening round of the competition, the Golden Lions met the NCAA National Champion Duke University, basketball team. The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the state's only Division I university to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Ivory was selected as the 2010 HSRN National Coach of the Year for his team's excellent achievements on the court, making him the first coach from Arkansas-Pine Bluff to receive such accolades. While head coach George Ivory continues to try to recruit significant, youthful talent for the Golden Lions men's basketball team, he continues to have one of the finest coaching careers in UAPB history. His oldest son, Jacob Ivory, a star point guard on the Murrah High School basketball team, followed in his footsteps and committed to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He was named a dandy dozen for the 2013-2014 season, which meant he was one of Mississippi's best twelve players. Last season, he averaged 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals per game. Murrah won the MHSAA 6A championship in 2013. Ivory was named to the Clarion-All-Metro Ledgers and All-State basketball teams in 2013. Ivory led the North squad in scoring with 16 points in the Mississippi North-South All-Star Basketball Game this summer.

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