Bruiser Flint facts for kids
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| Team | Arkansas |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 23, 1965 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1987 | Saint Joseph's |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987–1989 | Coppin State (assistant) |
| 1989–1996 | UMass (assistant) |
| 1996–2001 | UMass |
| 2001–2016 | Drexel |
| 2017–2020 | Indiana (assistant) |
| 2020–2024 | Kentucky (assistant) |
| 2024–present | Arkansas (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 331–289 |
| Tournaments | 0–2 (NCAA Division I) 2–6 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| CAA regular season (2012) | |
| Awards | |
| 4× CAA Coach of the Year (2002, 2004, 2009, 2012) 4× NABC District Coach of the Year (1998, 2007, 2009, 2012) |
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James "Bruiser" Flint, born on July 23, 1965, is a well-known American college basketball coach. He currently works as an assistant coach for the Arkansas team. Before this, he was the main coach for teams at UMass and Drexel.
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Bruiser Flint's Playing Days
Bruiser Flint graduated from Saint Joseph's University in 1987. While he was a student there, he played on the school's basketball team. He was a talented player and was even chosen for the all-Atlantic 10 team in his final year. In 1988, he was honored by being added to St. Joe's athletic hall of fame.
Starting His Coaching Career
In 1987, right after college, Flint began his coaching journey. He became an assistant coach at Coppin State University. Two years later, in 1989, he joined John Calipari as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, also known as UMass.
When Coach Calipari left UMass to coach in the NBA in 1996, Bruiser Flint took over. He became the 17th head coach for the UMass Minutemen basketball team. During his time as head coach at UMass, his team won 86 games and lost 72. In 1998, he received an award as the NABC District Coach of the Year. After the 2000–01 season, Flint decided to leave UMass.
Coaching at Drexel University
On April 5, 2001, Bruiser Flint became the head coach at Drexel University. He took over from Steve Seymour. Around the same time, Drexel's team moved to a new league called the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Flint had a very successful time coaching at Drexel. He was named the CAA Coach of the Year four times. These awards came in 2002, 2004, 2009, and 2012. He also won the NABC District Coach of the Year award three more times in 2007, 2009, and 2012.
Under Coach Flint, the Drexel Dragons played in the NIT five times. In 2012, his team won the CAA Regular Season Championship for the first time. However, they lost in the finals of the conference tournament to VCU. Even though they had a great season, they just missed out on playing in the NCAA Tournament. They did well in the 2012 NIT, winning two games before being stopped by UMass, his former team.
After 15 seasons with Drexel, Bruiser Flint was no longer the head coach after the 2015-16 season. At that time, he was the coach with the most wins in Drexel basketball history.
Current Coaching Role
After leaving Drexel, Flint continued his coaching career as an assistant. He worked with Archie Miller at Indiana. Later, he joined up again with his former mentor, John Calipari, on the Kentucky coaching staff. In 2024, when Coach Calipari moved to the Arkansas team, he brought Bruiser Flint with him. Flint is currently an assistant coach for Arkansas.
Bruiser Flint's Head Coaching Record
Bruiser Flint has coached college basketball teams for many years. Here is a summary of his time as a head coach:
UMass Minutemen (1996–2001)
- Overall Record: 86 wins, 72 losses
- Conference Record: 52 wins, 28 losses
- His teams played in the NCAA Tournament twice and the NIT once.
Drexel Dragons (2001–2016)
- Overall Record: 245 wins, 217 losses
- Conference Record: 150 wins, 117 losses
- His teams played in the NIT five times. In 2012, they won the CAA regular season championship.
Overall, as a head coach, Bruiser Flint has a record of 331 wins and 289 losses.
