JohnPelphrey

Pelphrey, a member of the Kentucky men’s basketball team from 1988-1992, returns to his alma mater after most recently serving as the head coach at Tennessee Tech for seven seasons. He coached multiple All-Ohio Valley Conference selections during his time with the Golden Eagles, including four-time All-OVC pick, Jr. Clay.

Prior to his time at Tennessee Tech, Pelphrey built a successful coaching career which included several stops in the Southeastern Conference.

After getting his start as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State under Eddie Sutton in 1994, Pelphrey would join forces with Billy Donovan at Marshall and eventually Florida.

Pelphrey got his first head coaching gig at South Alabama, where he was at the helm for five seasons, leading the Jaguars to a Sun Belt tournament championship in 2006 and a Sun Belt regular season title in 2007.

Following his time at South Alabama, Pelphrey was hired as the head coach at Arkansas. In his four seasons with the Razorbacks, Pelphrey totaled a 69-59 record. He won 23 games during his first season in 2008, the most by a first-year head coach in program history. While in Fayetteville, Pelphrey coached four All-SEC performers and two SEC All-Freshmen honorees.

Pelphrey then returned to Florida as the lead assistant under Donovan, before eventually taking an assistant position at Alabama ahead of the 2017 season.

Affectionally known among Big Blue Nation as one of the “Unforgettables” alongside fellow class of 1992 seniors Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods, Pelphrey ranks No. 32 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,257 points. He also holds the seventh spot on the all-time steals list with 173 swipes and ranks No. 13 on the all-time assists leaderboard with 327. Pelphrey was an All-SEC selection in 1991, when he was the Wildcats’ leading scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game. A native of Paintsville, Kentucky, Pelphrey is a member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame and has his No. 34 jersey retired in the rafters at Rupp Arena.