MOBILE, Ala. — New South Alabama men’s basketball coach Matt Graves announced Monday that Darnell Archey, Butler’s coordinator of basketball operations, will join his staff, the first hire of Graves’ tenure with the Jaguars.
Archey, a native of New Castle, Ind., has spent the past four seasons on the Butler staff. Graves also comes to South Alabama from Butler.
High School Coaching Background
Before returning to his alma mater, Archey coached five years at the high school level, including three as a head coach. Among the players he coached were two McDonald’s All-Americans who went on to earn all-conference honors in the ACC and the Big Ten.
Archey was the head coach at Park Tudor High School in Indiana in 2008-09. During his one season there, he coached a player ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 2 point guard and No. 19 overall prospect.
Record-Setting Career at Butler
Archey was a four-year letterwinner at Butler from 1999 to 2003 and played on three NCAA Tournament teams. He finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers with 217, a total that now ranks third in Butler history.
He set Butler records for free-throw percentage in a season at 97.3 percent and for a career at 95.1 percent. Archey also set an NCAA record by making 85 consecutive free throws over parts of three seasons, a streak that began Feb. 15, 2001, and ended Jan. 18, 2003.
NCAA Tournament Experience
Archey’s hiring adds another staff member with NCAA Tournament experience as a player and coach to Graves’ staff at South Alabama, which competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays its home games at the Mitchell Center.
