(Story courtesy of Chattanooga sports information. For photos from today's press conference, visit www.gomocs.com.)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.---John Shulman says that he has realized his dream at the age of 37.
Shulman was named men’s head basketball coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Friday at a news conference in The McKenzie Arena. Shulman, a former Mocs assistant coach under Jeff Lebo, was given the title of interim head coach April 8 after Lebo left to become the head coach at Auburn.
“It took me 19 years to get to this point,” Shulman said. “When I was in the eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to be a basketball coach. I said in my high school senior will and testament that in 10 years I would be the head coach at Vanderbilt. It took me 20 years to become the head coach at Chattanooga, but that’s fine.”
Shulman was chosen from a group of 47 applicants. He was named one of three finalists on April 16, joining Morehead State Head Coach Kyle Macy and Connecticut assistant Clyde Vaughan.
“We had a lot of good candidates apply for this job,” UTC Director of Athletics Steve Sloan said. “There were probably 12 or 15 who would have done a good job. UTC is a coveted job. We have history and a tradition of winning.”
Sloan listed several criteria he wanted the next head coach to possess. He wanted someone who was interested in academics and in graduating student-athletes, he wanted good structure in the program that emphasized character and integrity, and he wanted someone with strong leadership skills, a strong work ethic, basketball knowledge and scheduling contacts.
“We felt that John Shulman matched up better than the other candidates,” Sloan said. “We understand the importance of basketball here at UTC and in Chattanooga. John Shulman has the capability of carrying on our tradition.”
Shulman has worked as an assistant coach for 19 years, 11 of which were in the Southern Conference. He was Lebo’s top aide at Tennessee Tech from to 1998 to 2002 and at UTC from 2002 to 2004.
While an assistant for the Mocs, he helped guide UTC to a 20-9 record in 2002-03 and a 19-11 mark last year. The Mocs advanced to the SoCon Tournament Championship Game each year and were edged by eventual champion East Tennessee State both times. When Shulman and Lebo arrived in Chattanooga, they inherited a program in 2002 without a returning starter and without a signee in the fold.
“We will graduate our young people,” Shulman said as he listed his goals. “I am not here to start a tradition. I am here to uphold one. Guys like Murray Arnold and Mack McCarthy got this thing going. We need to be a factor every year in the Southern Conference. I remember when the road to the championship always ran through Chattanooga. We’ve slipped a little bit. We must be a factor again. We can be like Gonzaga. Will it happen next year? Not likely. It will take a lot of hard work.”
While at Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles compiled a 75-43 overall record. After taking over a program at or near the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Tech staff guided the Golden Eagles to back-to-back OVC regular-season titles in 2001 and 2002. They reached the NIT Quarterfinals at the end of the 2001-02 season.
Shulman has also worked as an assistant at two other Southern Conference schools. He began his collegiate coaching career at Wofford College under Head Coach Richard Johnson, working with the Terriers in 1989-90 and again in 1996-98. He returned to his alma mater, East Tennessee State, in 1990 to serve as a graduate assistant coach for Head Coach Alan LeForce. He was promoted to assistant coach in 1992, staying at ETSU until 1996.
He admitted that he would likely use the same structure that he and Lebo put in place the last two years.
“We will continue with the same philosophy,” he said. “We will play hard, play smart and play together. Offensively we won’t change a whole lot. We were sixth in the nation in scoring last year and fifth in field goal percentage. We might try to guard some people next year on occasion.
“We will have a disciplined bunch of young men. They will go to class. They will be proud of themselves and proud that they came to Chattanooga. I will treat them firmly but with love and respect. We will go all out at all times. I would have a hard time going to bed at night knowing that we took a short cut. I want my two kids to be proud of their father.”
Shulman earned two degrees from East Tennessee State. He graduated cum laude in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, and received a master’s degree in the same major in 1992.
He was a member of the ETSU tennis team and became the program’s first Academic All-America in 1988-89. He recorded 98 singles victories during his career and reached the semifinals of the Southern Conference Championships three times.
A native of Johnson City, Tenn., Shulman was born on June 28, 1966. He is married to the former Amy Engle of Erwin, Tenn. Amy was the SoCon Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 1995-96 and a two-time All-SoCon honoree at East Tennessee State. The couple has two sons, Max, 4, and Tanner, 3.
