Stan Heath facts for kids
Heath in 2020
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| Eastern Michigan Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 17, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Detroit Catholic Central (Novi, Michigan) |
| Career information | |
| College | Eastern Michigan (1984–1987) |
| Coaching career | 1988–present |
| League | Mid-American Conference |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1988–1989 | Hillsdale (assistant) |
| 1989–1991 | Albion (assistant) |
| 1991–1994 | Wayne State (MI) (assistant) |
| 1994–1996 | Bowling Green (assistant) |
| 1996–2001 | Michigan State (assistant) |
| 2001–2002 | Kent State |
| 2002–2007 | Arkansas |
| 2007–2014 | South Florida |
| 2015–2017 | Boston College (assistant) |
| 2017–2021 | Lakeland Magic |
| 2021–present | Eastern Michigan |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
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Stanley Heath III, born on December 17, 1964, is an American basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the Eastern Michigan team. Before this, he was the head coach at the University of South Florida, the University of Arkansas, and Kent State University. At Kent State, he led his team to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA basketball tournament. He has led all three of these college teams to at least one NCAA tournament.
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Stan Heath's Early Life and Education
Stan Heath graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1983. While there, he was an all-state guard, which means he was one of the best players in the state.
He earned his bachelor's degree in social science from Eastern Michigan University in 1988. Later, he received his master's degree in sports administration from Wayne State University in 1993. Heath played basketball for Eastern Michigan for three years, from 1985 to 1987.
Heath is married to Ramona Webb, whom he met in college. They have two sons named Jordan and Joshua.
Stan Heath's Coaching Journey
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Stan Heath began his college coaching career in 1989 at Hillsdale College as an assistant coach. After one season, he moved to Albion College, where he was an assistant and also coached the junior varsity team for two years.
He then worked at Wayne State University in Detroit for three years. In 1994, he was the associate head coach when Wayne State had a record-breaking season with 25 wins and 5 losses. He helped the team win two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and reach the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1993.
After two seasons as an assistant at Bowling Green State University, Heath joined Tom Izzo at Michigan State University. He was an assistant coach there for five years. During his time at Michigan State, the team reached the Final Four three years in a row (1999, 2000, 2001). They also won the national championship in 2000. The team had an impressive record of 132 wins and 37 losses during his time there.
Leading the Kent State Golden Flashes
In 2002, Stan Heath got his first job as a head coach at Kent State University. Under his leadership, the Golden Flashes had an amazing season with 30 wins and only 6 losses. They won both the Mid-American Conference regular-season title and the tournament title.
The team then made it almost to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Elite Eight. They set new school and conference records for wins. Kent State also had a 21-game winning streak. They beat three ranked teams in the NCAA Tournament, including No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 8 University of Alabama.
Heath's 30 wins in his first year as a head coach tied for the third-most in NCAA Division I history. He was named the MAC Coach of the Year and the national Rookie Coach of the Year by several sports websites.
Coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks
After his successful year at Kent State, Heath became the head coach at the University of Arkansas on March 28, 2002. His first season, 2002–2003, was tough, and the team finished with 9 wins and 19 losses.
The next season, 2003–2004, showed some improvement. The team added talented freshmen like Ronnie Brewer and Olu Famutimi, finishing with a 12–16 record. The 2004–2005 season saw even more progress, with the team ending with an 18–12 record.
In the 2005–2006 season, Arkansas started strong with a big win over the University of Kansas. They also had important wins against ranked opponents like Florida and Tennessee. The Razorbacks received an NCAA tournament invitation for the first time under Heath, but they lost in the first round.
The 2006–2007 season began with Arkansas winning the Old Spice Classic tournament. They also reached the SEC Championship Game. Even though they lost the championship, they still got an invitation to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. Heath's time at Arkansas ended on March 26, 2007.
Leading the South Florida Bulls
Soon after leaving Arkansas, Heath became the head coach for the South Florida Bulls on April 2, 2007. The team had a tough start but soon improved.
During the 2009–2010 season, Heath led the Bulls to their first postseason tournament since 2002. The team won 20 games and earned a spot in the NIT, a major basketball tournament.
Heath's most successful season with the Bulls was in his fifth year. He led them to 22 victories and a strong finish in the Big East league. This earned them a spot in the NCAA tournament. They won two games in the tournament before losing in the round of 32.
Heath and the Bulls parted ways after the 2014 conference tournament. After that, he worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN for one season.
Returning to Assistant Coaching
On June 30, 2015, Heath joined Jim Christian's coaching staff at Boston College.
Coaching in the NBA G League
In August 2017, Heath was announced as the new head coach of the Lakeland Magic. This team is part of the NBA G League, which is like a development league for the NBA. In 2021, he led Lakeland to win the G League championship. He was also named the league's Coach of the Year for that season.
Back to Eastern Michigan
On April 12, 2021, Stan Heath was appointed as the new head coach for the Eastern Michigan's men's basketball team. He continues to coach there today.
Stan Heath's Coaching Records
College Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State Golden Flashes (Mid-American Conference) (2001–2002) | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | Kent State | 30–6 | 17–1 | 1st (East) | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| Kent State: | 30–6 (.833) | 17–1 (.944) | |||||||
| Arkansas Razorbacks (Southeastern Conference) (2002–2007) | |||||||||
| 2002–03 | Arkansas | 9–19 | 4–12 | T–5th (West) | |||||
| 2003–04 | Arkansas | 12–16 | 4–12 | 6th (West) | |||||
| 2004–05 | Arkansas | 18–12 | 6–10 | 4th (West) | |||||
| 2005–06 | Arkansas | 22–10 | 10–6 | T–2nd (West) | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Arkansas | 21–14 | 7–9 | T–3rd (West) | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| Arkansas: | 82–71 (.536) | 31–49 (.388) | |||||||
| South Florida Bulls (Big East Conference) (2007–2013) | |||||||||
| 2007–08 | South Florida | 12–19 | 3–15 | T–15th | |||||
| 2008–09 | South Florida | 9–22 | 4–14 | 14th | |||||
| 2009–10 | South Florida | 20–13 | 9–9 | 9th | NIT first round | ||||
| 2010–11 | South Florida | 10–23 | 3–15 | 15th | |||||
| 2011–12 | South Florida | 22–14 | 12–6 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2012–13 | South Florida | 12–19 | 3–15 | 14th | |||||
| South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference) (2013–2014) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | South Florida | 12–20 | 3–15 | 10th | |||||
| South Florida: | 97–130 (.427) | 37–89 (.294) | |||||||
| Eastern Michigan Eagles (Mid-American Conference) (2021–present) | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | Eastern Michigan | 10–21 | 5–15 | 11th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Eastern Michigan | 8–23 | 5–13 | T–9th | |||||
| 2023–24 | Eastern Michigan | 13–18 | 6–12 | 10th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Eastern Michigan | 16–16 | 9–9 | T–6th | |||||
| Eastern Michigan: | 47–78 (.376) | 25–49 (.338) | |||||||
| Total: | 255–285 (.472) | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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