Head coach Scott Cherry, now entering his ninth season as bench boss for the Panthers, has taken the High Point University men's basketball program to new heights.
Under the guidance of Cherry, HPU captured four-consecutive regular season Big South titles from 2013-16. The Panthers were one of just four programs nationally to accomplish the feat during that stretch, joining Kansas, Gonzaga and Stephen F. Austin. HPU qualified for the postseason in a school record four-straight seasons and advanced to the NIT for the second time in three seasons in 2015-16.
During the 2015-16 campaign, HPU compiled yet another championship season, claiming the Big South regular season crown with 13 league wins, including a school-record seven coming away from the Millis Center. High Point won 21 games and in the process clinched back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time since 1994-95. With the 13 league victories, High Point also became the first program in Big South history to win 12+ conference games in four-straight seasons.
In 2014-15, HPU set a number of firsts for the program. The Panthers set new Div. I program records for overall wins (23), Big South victories (13), road wins (9) and Big South road wins (6). In addition, the Panthers advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round to earn the first postseason win in the program's Div. I history.
Cherry was named Big South Coach of the Year in 2013-14 after leading the Panthers to a 16-15 overall record and 12-4 league record. The Panthers won the Big South North Division and the overall conference regular season, earning the league’s automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament. Cherry is HPU’s first Coach of the Year honoree.
The Panthers were picked No. 1 in the North Division of the Big South Preseason Poll after returning all five starters, when HPU went 17-14 overall and 12-4 in league play. It didn’t go as easily as planned, however, as High Point played a significant part of its stretch run without three of those five starters. Preseason All-Big South selection Allan Chaney ended his playing career in early December due to health issues. Dejuan McGaughy missed 11 league games and Adam Weary missed five with injuries.
In early January, High Point was 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the Big South before winning 12 of its final 14 regular-season games, including six in a row to finish it and clinch the overall league title. It was the first time in league history that a team started 0-2 and went on to win the regular season. The Panthers went on to play in the NIT, taking an 88-81 loss to eventual champ Minnesota.
In eight seasons, Cherry has a 132-118 overall record and 84-56 Big South record with the Panthers. HPU went 77-50 overall and 50-18 in the Big South in the last four seasons. During that stretch, Cherry has led the Purple & White to at least 12 conference wins in every season.
HPU earned its first-ever Div. I postseason bid in 2012-13, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and its first-ever NIT bid in 2013-14. The Panthers’ Big South North Division title in 2012-13 was the team’s first championship (regular season or tournament) since joining the league in 1999-2000.
During the team's four-year conference title run, the Panthers have boasted the talents of two-time All-America honorable mention and Big South Player of the Year John Brown. He was named to the Julius Erving Watch List during his senior campaign in 2015-16 and was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, given annually to the nation's top mid-major player. He became the first player ever to be named both Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. In addition to his accolades, Brown also brought HPU fans to their feat with his arsenal of electric dunks and high-effort play. The high-flying forward was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s top 10 plays 10 times during his career.
The team has received national exposure like never before under Cherry’s watch. Brown’s 10 ESPN SportsCenter appearances are the highlight. He earned ESPN’s No. 1 play for an alley-oop during High Point’s regular-season clinching win over Campbell on Feb. 28. Brown also has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, NBCSports.com and FoxSports.com and his monster alley-oop dunk vs. Coastal Carolina on Feb. 6, 2015, was tweeted out by Deadspin, SB Nation, ESPN and seen by more than 2.5 million Twitter users.
Former HPU guard Shay Shine was featured as ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 1 and No. 2 plays during the 2010-11 season. Chaney has been featured by media outlets across the nation, including the Washington Post, the Sporting News and ESPN.com. He was named CBSSports.com Comeback Player of the Year in 2012-13. Nick Barbour became High Point’s first participant in the College 3-Point Championship in 2012 and Corey Law became HPU’s first participant in the College Slam Dunk Championship in 2013.
High Point received a ton of exposure for its epic comeback from down 20 points in the second half to defeat Morgan State, 62-61, in Baltimore. Anthony Lindauer’s 30-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer was featured on multiple media outlet’s and was Scott Van Pelt’s Best Available Video on the ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Prior to Cherry’s arrival, High Point went 9-21 overall and 4-14 in Big South play in 2008-09. HPU posted a six-win improvement in Cherry’s first season of 2009-10, going 15-15 overall and 10-8 in the Big South.
Cherry brought an outstanding history of success to HPU. He was a member of four Sweet 16 squads and won a national title as a player at North Carolina before he compiled a 210-107 record over 10 seasons as an assistant coach. In his career as a player and coach, Cherry’s teams have made 11 postseason appearances, including seven NCAA Tournaments and three NIT trips.
Featuring a style similar to his playing days at UNC, Cherry’s players push the ball up the floor, move the ball quickly and play pressure defense. The results were obvious in HPU’s first season under Cherry, as the team’s scoring offense improved from 64.4 to 72.3 points per game and HPU featured the conference’s leader in three-point percentage in overall games (Barbour) and in conference games (Eugene Harris). In the next two seasons, the Panthers featured one of the top guard tandems in the region with Barbour and Shine.
Cherry joined High Point University after serving as assistant coach to Darrin Horn for two seasons – first at Western Kentucky and, when Horn became head coach at South Carolina, Cherry moved on to become top assistant with the Gamecocks. Alongside Horn at South Carolina in 2008-09, Cherry played an integral part in helping lead the Gamecocks to a 21-10 finish that included a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title and an appearance in the NIT. At Western Kentucky, Cherry assisted the Hilltoppers to a 29-7 mark, a Sun Belt Conference title, a No. 23 final national ranking and a historic trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 as a No. 12 seed.
Prior to joining the Western Kentucky staff, Cherry spent seven seasons at George Mason from 1999-2002 and 2003-07 working alongside current Miami head coach Jim Larranaga. During Cherry’s tenure at Mason, the Patriots earned four postseason bids, including two NCAA Tournament appearances, and went 140-79 (.639) overall and an 82-40 (.672) in the Colonial Athletic Association. George Mason won the CAA regular-season title in 2005-06, earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. On their way to the Final Four, George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Patriots finally lost to eventual national champion Florida and finished the season with a program-best 27-8 record, including a 15-3 CAA mark.
During his first stint with the Patriots from 1999-2002, Cherry helped lead the squad to three straight first- or second-place finishes in the CAA along with a 36-14 mark (.720 winning percentage) in league play. George Mason won the CAA Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and earned a bid to the 2002 NIT. Cherry spent the 2002-03 season at Tennessee Tech, helping the team to 20 wins and the Ohio Valley Conference title game.
A 1993 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in business administration, Cherry earned four letters for the Tar Heels basketball team and served as team captain as a senior. UNC went 107-33 in Cherry’s four seasons, going to the Sweet 16 every year, the Final Four in 1991 and 1993 and winning the 1993 NCAA title. Upon graduation, Cherry played one season of professional basketball for the AEL Basketball Club in Limassol, Cyprus.
Cherry is a native of Ballston Spa, N.Y. He and his wife, Cortney, have one son, Brody.
About Scott Cherry:
"Scott Cherry understands the importance of building a program with character, academic excellence and commitment to style of play. He knows that putting the student-athlete first leads to success on and off the court. He has been an integral part of helping build programs that have exceeded on-court expectations and had great academic success."
-Darrin Horn, Former South Carolina Head Coach
"As a player, Scott had a great understanding of the team concept. His leadership on and off the court was vital to our success. Scott has had success in everything he has been a part of, and I’m sure that trend will continue."
-Dean Smith, Former North Carolina Head Coach
"Scott Cherry seems to have a sixth sense for winning. Whether he’s cutting down the nets at North Carolina, posing at the Final Four with George Mason, dancing with Western Kentucky or helping reload South Carolina, he’s always on the right end of the scoreboard. More importantly, he’s done it the right way through recruiting character kids who want to win and excel in the classroom. With Scott, you know exactly where he stands and what he’s going to bring to the table."
-Dave Telep, National Scouting Director (Scout Inc.)
| SCOTT CHERRY: YEAR-BY-YEAR |
| As a head coach... |
| Season |
Record |
Conf. |
School |
Accomplishments |
| 2016-17 |
15-16 |
9-9 |
High Point |
Ranked second in Big South in free-throw percentage |
| 2015-16 |
21-11 |
13-5 |
High Point |
Matched the school record for Big South wins (13) and set a new program best with seven league road victories; Advanced to the NIT for the second time in three seasons. |
| 2014-15 |
23-10 |
13-5 |
High Point |
HPU set Div. I program records for wins (23) and Big South wins (13) and earned the first postseason win in school history. |
| 2013-14 |
16-15 |
12-4 |
High Point |
HPU advanced to NIT for first time, won first outright Big South regular-season title |
| 2012-13 |
17-14 |
12-4 |
High Point |
Won Big South North Division with 12-4 record, HPU record for Big South wins |
| 2011-12 |
13-18 |
8-10 |
High Point |
Points per game increased by 5.0; ranked sixth in NCAA in three-point percentage |
| 2010-11 |
12-19 |
7-11 |
High Point |
Team advanced to Big South Semifinals for the first time in three years |
| 2009-10 |
15-15 |
10-8 |
High Point |
Six-win improvement both overall and in the Big South from 9-19 (4-14) |
| Total |
132-118 (eight seasons) |
| As an assistant coach... |
| Season |
Record |
|
School |
Accomplishments |
| 2008-09 |
21-10 |
|
South Carolina |
NIT appearance, SEC regular season co-champ |
| 2007-08 |
29-7 |
|
Western Kentucky |
NCAA Sweet 16, No. 23 ESPN/USA Today ranking, Sun Belt regular season & tournament champ |
| 2006-07 |
18-15 |
|
George Mason |
CAA tournament finalist |
| 2005-06 |
27-7 |
|
George Mason |
NCAA Final Four, No. 8 ESPN/USA Today ranking, CAA regular season champ |
| 2004-05 |
16-13 |
|
George Mason |
Seventh-straight winning season |
| 2003-04 |
23-10 |
|
George Mason |
NIT third round, CAA tournament finalist |
| 2002-03 |
20-12 |
|
Tennessee Tech |
Third-straight 20+win season, OVC finalist |
| 2001-02 |
19-10 |
|
George Mason |
NIT appearance |
| 2000-01 |
18-12 |
|
George Mason |
NCAA appearance, CAA tournament champ |
| 1999-00 |
19-11 |
|
George Mason |
CAA regular season co-champ |
| Total |
210-107 (10 seasons) |
| As a player… |
| Season |
Record |
|
School |
Accomplishments |
| 1992-93 |
34-4 |
|
North Carolina |
NCAA Champions, ACC regular season champ |
| 1991-92 |
23-10 |
|
North Carolina |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 1990-91 |
29-6 |
|
North Carolina |
NCAA Final Four, ACC tournament champ |
| 1989-90 |
21-13 |
|
North Carolina |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| Total |
107-33 (Four letters) |
