Meet James “Bruiser” Flint, one of the most successful and experienced coaches in the world of college basketball. With over 30 years of experience as a head coach and assistant coach, Flint has built a reputation for his ability to recruit and develop players, as well as his honest and engaging approach to coaching.
Flint joined the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team as an assistant coach in 2020-21 before being promoted to associate head coach in May 2021. His addition to the Wildcats’ coaching staff has already made an impact, and his wealth of experience is sure to benefit the team in the coming seasons.
One of Flint’s most notable coaching experiences was his seven seasons as a member of John Calipari’s staff at UMass. During this time, he played a pivotal role in helping to build a national program and led the Minutemen to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 1996 Final Four run. As head coach of UMass, Flint also led the team to NCAA Tournament berths in his first two seasons, setting a school record for the best record of any first-year coach in school history.
Following his stint at UMass, Flint became the head coach at Drexel, where he amassed more victories than any other coach in school history over his 15 seasons. Under Flint’s leadership, the Drexel Dragons achieved unprecedented success with three seasons of 20 or more wins, and nine seasons with at least 10 victories in the CAA. In the 2011-12 season, Flint’s team broke school records with 29 wins and claimed the CAA regular-season title.
Flint’s success continued as an assistant coach at Indiana, where he helped produce some of the top recruits in the country. In 2018 and 2020, ESPN ranked Indiana’s recruiting class as No. 11 nationally. Flint played a crucial role in signing Indiana Mr. Basketball winners Romeo Langford (2018) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (2019), who went on to become McDonald’s All-Americans and were highly sought-after by the NBA.
Aside from his college basketball coaching experience, Flint has also coached with USA Basketball, serving as an assistant coach for the USA U-19 National Team in Serbia and the USA U-21 World Championship Team in Argentina. Before the Global Games, he also worked as a court coach.
With his extensive experience and successful track record, James “Bruiser” Flint is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in college basketball today, and his impact on the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team is already being felt.
