SMU Announces Howard As Assistant Coach
{fshare id=2505}
DALLAS (SMU) — Jerrance Howard has been named an assistant men’s basketball coach at SMU, Head Coach Larry Brown announced today.
“There have been a lot of people interested in this job,” stated Brown. “Jerrance came highly recommended by Kansas Coach Bill Self as a person that would be able to help us build SMU to national prominence as we move into the Big East. I believe Jerrance will be a great representative for SMU as we work together to build Mustang basketball into a top-25 program.”
“I am excited to be here,” says Howard. “SMU has all the pieces in place to be nationally competitive. I am looking forward to helping Hall of Fame Coach Brown return SMU basketball to national prominence.”
Howard spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Illinois, his alma mater. There, he quickly earned a reputation as one of the top young assistant coaches in the country and one of the nation’s best recruiters.
Howard was a four-year letterwinner for the Fighting Illini from 2000-04. During his career, Illinois compiled a record of 104-31 overall and 48-16 in the Big Ten. The Illini won three Big Ten championships (2001, 2002, 2004), a Big Ten Tournament title (2003) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament all four years, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2001, and the Sweet 16 in both 2002 and 2004.
Howard played point guard for the Illini, backing up All-Americans Frank Williams, Dee Brown and Deron Williams under coaches Bill Self, Lon Kruger, Bruce Weber and Tim Jankovich. Howard developed a reputation as the program’s inspirational leader and went on to serve as tri-captain as a junior and senior. He also was a two-time winner of the Kenny Battle Award, an accolade voted upon by the players and coaches and given to an Illini who earns the respect of his teammates through hard work and effort in games and practice each day.
Howard rejoined the Illinois program after serving three-plus years under Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M as an administrative assistant and at Kentucky in basketball operations.
Howard earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Illinois in 2004. He is married to the former Jessica Wordlaw, who also is an Illinois graduate. The Howards have a son, Jerrance Jr., and a daughter, Jaya Brooklyn-Rose.
