Savannah College of Art and Design Athletics

Cazzie Russell
Head Coach

Phone: 912.525.4809
Email: crussell@scad.edu

Cazzie Russell begins his 12th season as head coach of the men’s basketball team at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Russell, who was ranked No. 21 in Street and Smith magazine’s list of greatest college basketball players, led the Bees to the quarterfinals of the Florida Sun Conference Tournament as SCAD went 11-20 last season.

Russell earned his 100th career victory when the Bees defeated 2002 NCAA Division III champion Otterbein College 76-72 in overtime of the championship game of the Maryville Invitational Tournament Dec. 1, 2002.

Russell led the Bees to a college record 21-6 mark during the 2002-03 season, including a college-record 16 victories in a row, as SCAD earned its third trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. He guided the Bees to their first-ever tournament win – 66-61 over Christopher Newport University – before losing at the buzzer 56-54 at Hampden-Sydney College in the second round.

The Bees, playing one of the most difficult schedules in NCAA Division III against five teams that were either ranked in the top 25 and/or made the NCAA Division III Tournament, went 13-12 in 2001-02.

The SCAD men’s team went 16-10 in 2000-01 as it earned its second consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament berth. The team began the 1999-2000 season winning 10 of its first 12 games, the best start in team history. The Bees have won 66 percent of their games (118-60) during Russell’s tenure.

Russell is perhaps most widely recognized for his spectacular college career at the University of Michigan (1963-66), where his phenomenal play helped launch the popularity of the Wolverine basketball program. His success there, coupled with that of the team, eventually led to the construction of the Crisler Arena — later referred to as “The House that Cazzie Built.”

Russell scored 2,164 points (27.1 ppg) and grabbed 676 rebounds (8.5rpg) during his career at Michigan. The Wolverines were 65-17, won three Big Ten titles and made two NCAA Final Four appearances during the Russell era. Russell holds several Michigan records, including the single-season scoring average mark of 30.1 points per game. On Dec. 11,1993, Russell became Michigan’s first basketball player to have his number retired.

Russell was an All-American in three varsity seasons at Michigan, earned two Big Ten most valuable player awards, and was named college Player of the Year by AP, UPI and the United State Basketball Writers Association in his senior season.

Russell was selected first in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He went on to play a key role in helping the Knicks to their first World Championship. During his 13-year career in the NBA, Russell built an outstanding reputation as a player for the Golden State Warriors, where he was an All-Star selection; the Los Angeles Lakers, where he teamed up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; and the Chicago Bulls, where he finished his career. He retired from the NBA in 1978 and became a sports analyst for CBS television’s “NBA Game of the Week.”

He is a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame.

YEAR	INSTITUTION	RECORD	HONORS
2006-07	Savannah College of Art and Design	11-20	Florida Sun Conference Tournament
2005-06	Savannah College of Art and Design	13-18	Florida Sun Conference Tournament
2004-05	Savannah College of Art and Design	11-18	Florida Sun Conference Tournament
2003-04	Savannah College of Art and Design	14-12
2002-03	Savannah College of Art and Design	21-6	NCAA Division Championship, ranked No. 20
2001-02	Savannah College of Art and Design	13-12
2000-01	Savannah College of Art and Design	16-10	NCAA Division III Championship
1999-2000	Savannah College of Art and Design	17-9	NCAA Division III Championship
1998-99	Savannah College of Art and Design	17-8
1997-98	Savannah College of Art and Design	18-6
1996-97	Savannah College of Art and Design	16-9
	Overall Record (11 years)	167-128	(.566)

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