Texas A&M-Corpus Christi introduces Jim Shaw as next men's basketball coach

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi did not have to look far to find its next head men’s basketball coach.

The school officially introduced Jim Shaw as the fifth coach in program history on Thursday at the Dugan Wellness Center after a nearly two-week national search circled back around to a man already on the basketball coaching staff.

“We have so much going for us following the amazing success,” Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletic director Adrian Rodriguez said. “There are so many eyes on the program and people excited about what we have going on in our athletic program and in men’s basketball in particular, so it was important we moved quickly to identify our next leader and it just so happened we had him right here on campus.”

Shaw follows the successful tenure of Steve Lutz. Lutz was named the head men’s basketball coach at Western Kentucky on March 18 after leading the Islanders to consecutive NCAA Tournaments and the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2022-23, tallying a record of 47-23.

“When you have excellence in your own back yard, or in our case on your own island, you capitalize on that excellence,” university president Kelly Miller said. “Coach Shaw has been a part of the winning formula that made Islanders basketball a topic around the nation.

“I see the in Jim Shaw the future of Islanders basketball. I am thrilled he is stepping into the role.”

'Opportunity of a lifetime'

Shaw called his first head coaching job “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“This comes with a lot of responsibility,” Shaw said. “We have to get to work immediately to keep that momentum moving forward and make the community and Coastal Bend proud.”

Shaw’s experience helping build the current roster and crafting them into two of the most successful teams in school history that helped set Shaw apart.

“No. 1 our values align,” Rodriguez said. “He is an incredible person as a human being. (He brings) integrity, character and so many things that matter to us, but his Texas ties, the way he knows the landscape, his background, where he has been, who (he) has been mentored by — he had all those values that connect to our program.

“His recruiting chops, coaching chops and his understanding of who we are and what we need to do to be successful in our conference, in the state and to get us to the national stage.”

Shaw counted Billy Gillispie, Doc Sadler, Danny Kaspar and Steve Lutz as his coaching mentors through his journey of nearly 20 years including assistant coaching stops at UTEP, Nebraska, Texas State, Texas Tech and Tarleton State.

Shaw said the goal is to make Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the preeminent men’s basketball program in the Southland Conference.

“The administration has put the resources and commitment into the program,” Shaw said. “We want to play in the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis and recruit highly talented student athletes of high character that can both develop into great people on campus and community and become great players.”

Next step

The San Antonio native said the next step is to advance further in the NCAA Tournament than the Islanders did this year, when they won their first tournament game in program history.

Shaw said his first priority is to keep the players currently on the roster. Last season, the Islanders did not have one scholarship player with eligibility enter the transfer portal.

Senior guard Trey Tennyson, the team's leading scorer this season, has already announced on Twitter he has entered the transfer portal.

Only three players on the roster have used all their eligibility and many will have an opportunity to use their extra year at A&M-Corpus Christi or elsewhere.

“We have great players that we will work with in April as they are on campus, but we will work to get some more good players, to add to our depth to continue the success and to try to reach the next level," Shaw said.

"My promise to you is that I will work hard, along with our staff and players, to fulfill the vision, reach our goals and to represent ourselves in the right way."

On the court, Shaw said the Islanders will work to be tough mentally and physically, look to dominate the rebounding and turnover margins.

"Defensively we want to impose our will on the opposing team and make it difficult for them to play the way they want to," Shaw said. "Above all we will have the discipline to prepare each and every day during practice and will compete hard on every possession."

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi introduces Shaw as men's basketball coach