Jankovich Named Associate Head Coach At SMU
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DALLAS (SMU) – Tim Jankovich has been named Associate Head Coach for SMU men’s basketball, Head Coach Larry Brown announced today.
“Tim was highly recommended by Kansas Coach Bill Self, and I am very excited to have him at SMU,” stated Brown. “The number and quality of coaches interested in coming to SMU has been tremendous; and to get someone with his experience and success as a head coach is invaluable.”
Jankovich spent the past five seasons (2007-2012) as the head coach at Illinois State, where his teams went 105-64, and made four NIT appearances (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012). He also won at least 20 games and finished in the top-three in the Missouri Valley Conference in each of the NIT seasons. They advanced to the MVC tournament championship game three times (2008, 2009, 2012), twice falling in overtime. He became the first head coach in MVC history to make the tournament title game in each of his first two seasons.
Before arriving at Illinois State, he spent five years as an assistant for Kansas coach Bill Self (one at Illinois and four at Kansas). During that stretch, their teams made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two trips to the Elite Eight and laid the foundation for Kansas’ National Championship season in 2008. In all, Jankovich has coached teams that have advanced to the postseason in seven-straight seasons, and eight of the last nine years.
In Jankovich’s four years at Kansas, the Jayhawks compiled a 105-29 (.784) record, won three
Big 12 regular season titles (2005, 2006, 2007), a pair of Big 12 tournaments (2006, 2007) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each campaign. In his final season at Kansas (2006-07), the Jayhawks went 33-5, and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in four years. The Jayhawks finished the season ranked No. 2 in both the final Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. KU finished each season of his tenure ranked No. 16 or better.
In his one year as an assistant at Illinois (2002-03), the team finished 25-7, won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Illinois was ranked No. 11 in the final AP poll.
For the past 25-plus years, Jankovich has played a key role in recruiting and player development. He is responsible for having attracted and coached some of the most accomplished recruiting classes in college basketball and has coached 24 current or former NBA players.
In addition to working under Self, Jankovich has served as an assistant coach for Eddie Sutton, Jack Hartman, Lon Kruger, Boyd Grant, Gene Iba, Bob Weltlich and Kevin Stallings. Other than Kansas and Illinois, he also served on the coaching staffs at UT-Pan American, Kansas State, Texas, Colorado State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. In addition, he served as a head coach for four years at the University of North Texas (1993-97) and two seasons at Hutchinson Community College (1997-99).
In his first season as head coach at North Texas (1993-94), his squad that had posted the second-biggest turnaround in the nation that year (from 5-21 to 14-15), and was one win away from an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. His team also made the Southland Conference Tournament championship game in 1996. In his fourth season, the Eagles moved to the Big West Conference. In all, his four years at North Texas comprised the second-best winning percentage in school history to that point (53-57, .482).
Jankovich guided Hutchinson Community College from 1997-99, going 50-14, posting back-to-back 20-win campaigns and national rankings both seasons.
At Vanderbilt (1999-2002), he played a key role in turning around a struggling program and helped lead the Commodores to two NIT appearances in three years (2000, 2002). The core of Jankovich’s recruited players at Vanderbilt advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004.
One of the winningest players in Kansas State history, he was a four-year starter at point guard (one year at Washington State and three years for legendary coach Jack Hartman at Kansas State). In each of his three seasons, at KSU, the Wildcats were ranked in the top-20 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Jankovich played in nine NCAA Tournament games, advancing to the 1981 Elite Eight and the 1982 Sweet 16.
A three-time academic All-American and honorable mention All-Big Eight player, Jankovich finished his career at Kansas State in the school’s top-10 in nine categories, including first in season free-throw percentage (.917) and eighth in career field-goal percentage (.510). In addition, he set the Big Eight Tournament record for single-game assists (14).
Jankovich graduated from Kansas State cum laude in 1982 with a 3.63 GPA in business finance and received his master’s degree in radio/television in 1985. He and his wife, Cindy, have a son, Michael.
