USF Names Robert McCullum Men’s Basketball Coach

Robert McCullum

Robert McCullum, who brings coaching experience from the SEC, Big 10 and the then-Big 8, plus a remarkable turnaround story as head coach at Western Michigan, was introduced as the men’s basketball coach at the University of South Florida in a press conference today.

McCullum’s contract with USF is a six-year agreement through the 2008-09 season.

“I’m completely confident that Robert McCullum is the best possible choice to lead our men’s basketball program,” said USF Director of Athletics Lee Roy Selmon. “I’m extremely impressed with his genuine enthusiasm for coaching and working with young men as well as his philosophies in both those areas.

“The success he has enjoyed at each step of his career and the remarkable job he has done at Western Michigan make him the ideal person to lead our program to new standards of excellence. Coach McCullum will lead a USF basketball program that wins with integrity.”

McCullum said, “There are a number of reasons to be excited about South Florida, but the first thing is Lee Roy Selmon. I say that because I believe that at a university, progress and success does not happen by chance or by accident. It happens because people make success happen and they make a place special. If Lee Roy Selmon is a window through which people see the University of South Florida, what a great way for it to be seen. I am really eager to work with him.

“Secondly, in talking with Dr. (Judy) Genshaft, her enthusiasm precedes her,” McCullum continued. “To me, enthusiasm means your heart is in it. I found her to be so engaging and upbeat and again it all goes back to the kind of people there are that make success happen.”

Stressing the importance of Conference USA, McCullum said, “Conference USA is extremely attractive. The first thing that comes to mind in any great conference is tradition, and when you can say you’re in a conference with Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis and Marquette, you’re talking about a conference with tradition. It’s so important how a conference is perceived and the tradition and history of the flagship programs sets the standard for our program to shoot for the upper echelon. That challenge is appealing.”

Challenge and success went hand-in-hand for McCullum at Western Michigan. In the last two of his three total seasons there, McCullum directed the Broncos to a 37-24 record, including a 20-11 mark this past season and the school’s fourth-ever postseason tournament. Additionally, those two Bronco teams put together back-to-back 10-win conference seasons.

Inheriting a program that had gone 21-33 in the two years prior to his arrival as head coach in 2000, McCullum put together the MAC’s top recruiting class and parlayed it from a 7-21 team his first year to one of the nation’s top turnaround stories with a 17-11 mark in his second season. His overall record in three seasons at Western Michigan was 44-45.

McCullum’s Western Michigan teams had five wins over teams from “power conferences” including two victories over Michigan, a win at Sweet 16 qualifier Auburn and two wins against Virginia Tech.

His success at Western Michigan did not go unnoticed in USA Basketball circles and he was rewarded with a position as an on-court coach at the 2002 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Trials. Furthermore, his coaching talents have impressed nationally respected coaches.

“I think it’s a great hire by South Florida,” said Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson. “Robert exhibits an exceptional maturity level. Not only is he a bright coach, but also he represents what’s right in this profession. He does it with integrity and he does it with class. He possesses a great work ethic and he does what’s best for young people.”

McCullum’s coaching pedigree runs deep, having been an assistant with Lon Kruger (Kansas State, Florida, Illinois) and Cliff Ellis (South Alabama). Additionally, he had been an assistant at Southern Illinois and Samford.

At Florida, McCullum became recognized as a top recruiter in the state and around the nation and helped mold a program that reached the Final Four in 1994.

“The University of South Florida has made an excellent choice by hiring Robert McCullum as its next head basketball coach,” said Lon Kruger, the head coach of that Florida team and subsequently the coach with Illinois and the Atlanta Hawks. “One of the main things about Coach Mac that makes him so successful is the fact that his teams are always so well prepared and they always play extremely hard. He gets so much out of his players because his relationship with them has always been outstanding. Nobody works harder than he does, and I am confident that he will have success at South Florida.”

A 1976 graduate of Birmingham Southern with a 1980 master’s degree from Alabama State, McCullum played two years of basketball at Seminole Junior College in Sanford, Fla. He first coached in high school before commencing his collegiate coaching in 1982 with the first of two stints at South Alabama. He worked there first for Ellis in 1982-83 and then returned from 1984-87 with head coach Mike Hanks, whom McCullum joined from Samford, where their team was 22-8 in 1983-84.

From South Alabama, McCullum joined Rich Herrin’s staff at Southern Illinois, where he spent two seasons between 1987-89, before first joining Kruger at Kansas State for one season prior to their joint arrival at Florida in 1990. After six years at Florida, he followed Kruger to Illinois for four seasons, during which the Illini were 79-49 and played in three NCAA Tournaments.

It was from Illinois that McCullum was named to his first head coaching post at Western Michigan in 2000.

McCullum and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, Darius and Richelle.