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Drexel University Athletics

Men's Basketball

James Flint
James Flint
  • Title:
    Head Men's Basketball Coach
  • Email:
    flint@drexel.edu
  • Phone:
    x-2348
James "Bruiser" Flint begins his 15th season as the head coach at Drexel University. Flint, the longest tenured coach in the CAA, has established Drexel as one of the top programs in the league since arriving on the University City campus in 2001. Flint was named the CAA Coach of the Year in 2012 for the fourth time since taking over at Drexel. He is one of just two coaches in league history to win the award on four occasions. He was also named the District 10 Regional Coach of the Year by the NABC, giving him four District Coach of the Year awards. Flint has led the Dragons to 20 or more wins three times and has had at least 10 CAA wins in nine of his 14 seasons at the school. The Dragons have finished .500 or better in CAA play in 12 of his 14 seasons, including each of the last seven years. That is the longest current streak of any team in the league.

Flint enters the 2015-16 season with a 325-264 career record. He has a 239-192 record at the school and an impressive 148-102 mark in CAA play. Last season, despite finishing the year with just seven healthy players, the Dragons were able to finish 9-9 in conference play.

In 2013, the Dragons defeated Elon, 71-64, in the NIT Season Tip-Off. That victory gave Flint 214 wins at Drexel, passing Sam Cozen for the school-record for career coaching wins. It was also the 300th career win for the Philadelphia native.

Since his arrival, the Dragons have had the CAA Defensive Player of the Year on four occasions, have had 22 All-CAA selections, 12 members of the conference's All-Defensive team, six players named to the league’s All-Rookie team and two CAA Rookies of the Year.

Despite major injuries to two key starters, the Dragons finished the 2013-14 with a 16-14 mark and an 8-8 record in CAA play. Drexel got off to an outstanding start and advanced to the NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals at Madison Square Garden by defeating Elon and Rutgers. In New York, the Dragons narrowly missed upsetting No. 4 Arizona. The Dragons led by double figures in the first half, but the Wildcats rallied and won the game, 66-62. In the consolation, the Dragons defeated Alabama in triple overtime, 85-83, giving the program its first ever win against a Southeastern Conference team.

Flint’s Dragons had a record-breaking season in 2011-12. His squad set a school record with 29 wins and won the CAA regular-season title with a 16-2 record. The Dragons won a school-record 19 straight games and advanced to the CAA title game for the second time in school history. Drexel came up just three points short against VCU in front of a sellout crowd in Richmond. Drexel was snubbed by the NCAA committee and settled for an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. It was the fifth time under Flint that Drexel earned an NIT berth. The team rebounded from the disappointment of being left out of the NCAA and won two postseason games for the first time in school history. Drexel advanced all the way to the NIT quarterfinals before losing to UMass at the DAC to finish the season with a 29-7 record. Flint’s team ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 56.1 points per game, seventh in three-point defense and had the 12th best winning percentage in all of Division I. The Dragons had three players earn All-CAA accolades for their play during one of the most memorable seasons in Drexel history. Frantz Massenat was a First Team pick, Samme Givens was named Second Team and Damion Lee became Drexel’s second CAA Rookie of the Year in the last three seasons.

The previous season, Flint led one of the younger teams in the conference to a 21-10 mark. Drexel stunned No. 20 Louisville on its home court, handing the Cardinals their first-ever loss in their new building. The Dragons also defeated NCAA Tournament teams Old Dominion and VCU on the way to a 20 win season for the second time in the last five years. The Dragons were 11-7 in the CAA, marking the eighth time in Flint’s 10 seasons at Drexel that the team posted at least 11 league wins.

Flint’s teams have continuously exceeded expectations. Drexel was picked to finish last in the CAA preseason poll in 2008-09, but Flint’s squad finished the year with a 10-8 mark in the CAA and 15-14 overall. Of the eight conference losses, five were by a point or in overtime. The Dragons, know for their defense, finished second in the league in field-goal percentage defense and allowed just 61.2 points per game. It was the third time in the last four years Drexel has been in the CAA’s top three in that category. The Dragons also won seven straight CAA games for the first time in school history and won both of their meetings with Philadelphia Big 5 schools. Drexel opened the year with a victory against Penn on ESPN and defeated Saint Joseph’s on New Year’s Eve.

Flint led the Dragons to 23 wins during the 2006-07 season, the most wins for a Drexel team since the 1995-96 campaign. Drexel finished 23-9 overall and won 13 road games, tying for the most in all of Division I. The Dragons won at nationally-ranked Syracuse, at Villanova and at Creighton in front of the largest crowd ever to see a game in the state of Nebraska. In addition, Flint became the first coach in Drexel history ever to beat three Philadelphia Big 5 teams in one season. He won his second NABC District Coach of the Year Award as the Dragons narrowly missed out on an NCAA at-large berth. His team led the conference in field-goal percentage defense and blocked shots and gave up just 60.6 points per contest.

During the 2004-05 season, despite key injuries to a number of players, Drexel had a 17-12 mark and a 12-6 record in the CAA. The Dragons, playing without two injured starters, took MAC runner-up Buffalo to overtime on its home court in the opening round of the NIT. It was the third straight season Flint led a Drexel team to the postseason.

In 2003-04, Flint was named the CAA Coach of the Year after leading a team picked to finish in a tie for fourth place to a second-place finish with a 13-5 league record. The Dragons won 12 of their last 15 regular-season games and finished just one game behind Virginia Commonwealth. Overall, Flint's team finished 18-11 and advanced to the NIT for the second straight season. The Dragons lost at Villanova in the first round. 

In his second season, Flint returned the Dragons to the postseason for the first time in six years. Drexel won 19 games and finished 12-6 in the CAA. The Dragons won two games at the CAA Tournament and advanced to the championship game. Drexel lost in the finals, but was rewarded with a bid to the NIT, only the sixth postseason appearance in the school's history.

Flint returned home to his native Philadelphia when he took over as Drexel's head coach on April 5, 2001. In his first year, Flint led a team that was picked to finish ninth in the CAA to an 11-7 mark, tying them for third in the league. The Dragons finished with a 14-14 record. For his efforts, Flint was named the CAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Flint picked up his 100th career victory in Drexel's 68-65 win against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 18, 2002.

Flint has had three stints with USA Basketball since coming to Drexel. In July of 2007, Flint was an assistant coach for the USA Under 19 National Team. He served under Jerry Wainwright from De Paul as the team competed in Novi Sad, Serbia. During the summer of 2005, Flint was an Assistant Coach for the USA Under 21 World Championship Team that played in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The team posted a 7-1 record. His first stint came as a court coach prior to the Global Games.

Flint arrived at Drexel after a 12-year stint at UMass. He was an assistant coach for seven seasons before becoming the school's 17th head basketball coach. He was 86-72 at UMass (52-28 in Atlantic 10 play) and led three of his teams to postseason play and was the NABC District I Co-Coach of the Year in 1998. Flint was the fastest coach in UMass history to reach 30 wins and was the winningest first-year coach ever at UMass. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Coppin State University before joining the UMass staff.

A 1987 Saint Joseph's graduate, Flint, 48, was a four-year letterwinner with the Hawks. He earned All-Atlantic 10 honors as a senior and led the Hawks to the 1986 A-10 championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a junior. The Hawks also made NIT appearances in 1984 and 1985. He was inducted into the Saint Joseph's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and graduated with a degree in financial management.
 
Flint graduated from nearby Episcopal Academy in 1983. He was a First Team All-Philadelphia and Third Team All-State selection following his senior season. Flint finished his prep career ranked second on the Inter-Academic Conference’s all-time scoring and assists lists, and was named the league’s MVP as a senior.