Phil Cunningham, who has served as a men's basketball coach at the Division I level for nearly 30 seasons, has been added to the ULM men's basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach, ULM Head Coach Keith Richard announced on Friday (Aug. 23).
"This is a great hire for our program," said Richard. "Phil brings a ton of experience both as an assistant and a head coach. I am excited and looking forward to working with him this season."
Most recently, Cunningham was the Associate Head Coach at Western Kentucky and spent four seasons on staff with the Hilltoppers. While at WKU, he helped lead the Hilltoppers to the 2021 Conference USA Regular Season Title and an NIT Quarterfinals appearance.
Cunningham is no stranger to the Sun Belt Conference, leading Troy as its head coach from 2013-2019. As Troy's head coach, Cunningham led the Trojan program to unprecedented success on and off the court. In 2017, the Trojans captured their first-ever SBC Championship and their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Cunningham coached two All-Sun Belt performers on that team: Wes Person, Jr. and Jordon Varnado. Off the court, Cunningham's teams won two SBC Team Academic Awards after his team earned the highest GPA in the conference and all 16 players who competed as seniors earned their degrees.
Prior to his head coaching stint at Troy, Cunningham was an assistant coach for WKU in 2012-13 and helped lead the Hilltoppers to an NCAA Tournament appearance after winning four games in four days to claim their second-straight SBC title, narrowly falling to No. 1 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
Cunningham spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 2000-12 before joining the WKU staff. All 12 recruiting classes he was involved with at Mississippi State were nationally recognized. He was a part of six NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years at Mississippi State. Cunningham worked primarily with the Bulldog guards and had a heavy hand in the program's recruiting efforts, helping land players such as Jarvis Varnado, Jamont Gordon, Charles Rhodes, Arnett Moultrie and also Monta Ellis, who went directly to the NBA out of high school after signing with Mississippi State.
Cunningham was a part of five Southeastern Conference Western Division crowns, one overall conference championship and two conference tournament titles in his final nine seasons at Mississippi State.
Before his tenure at Mississippi State, Cunningham spent five seasons as an assistant coach under legendary head coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell at James Madison and Georgia State. He was promoted to associate head coach in his final two seasons at GSU, where he recruited back-to-back conference Player of the Year winners.
Cunningham's 18-year stint as an NCAA Division I assistant coach was preceded by a three-year stay as head basketball coach at Sue Bennett College in London, Ky. Taking over a former junior college program and making the jump to four-year competition in the NAIA, Cunningham paced Sue Bennett to 48 victories during his three seasons at the helm of the Dragons, including postseason tournament appearances during each of the school's first two years of postseason eligibility status.
Cunningham began his coaching career in the 1990-91 season as an assistant coach on his father's staff at Campbellsville University after graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He helped lead the Tigers to the District 32 championship and an appearance in the NAIA Tournament.
He then went to Mississippi State as a graduate assistant for the 1991-92 season, where he earned a master's degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration.
After graduating from Taylor County High School, Cunningham began his collegiate playing career at Kentucky Wesleyan and won an NCAA Division II National Championship in 1987. Citing a desire to play for his highly respected father, Cunningham transferred to Campbellsville College, now Campbellsville University, where he was ranked among the school's all-time leaders in career assists.
Cunningham has one daughter, Shelby.
