A 15-year college basketball veteran who has coached at all three levels of the NCAA as well as in the NAIA, Link joined the Lakers in May of 2015 following a very successful run as head coach at Division II Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. Over the course of his career he has produced a 145-110 overall record as a head coach, all at the DII level.
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CLAYTON STATE (2015-PRESENT, HEAD COACH)
In his four seasons at the helm of the Orange and Blue Link has compiled a 64-50 record and accomplished things that no other individual has in program history.
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Following a 14-12 mark in his first season of 2015-16, the 2016-17 edition of the Lakers would go 16-13 overall but claim a five-way share of the Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship, and the top seed in the league’s postseason tournament, with an 11-8 record. That came in dramatic fashion as the club defeated Montevallo 71-70 in the closing seconds of the regular season finale for their first title since the 2001-02 campaign.
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After having returned to the PBC Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, the 2017-18 campaign would see Clayton State go even further with one of the best seasons in program history. That year they went 24-7 overall and a team record 19-3 in the PBC to claim the first back-to-back championships since the program moved to Division II in the late 1990’s.
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That win total tied the program’s mark during that era and was fueled by an incredible 14 game winning streak that is second only to the 2006-07 team’s 17 in a row to begin that season. The club would have something else in common with that squad as well as they returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, and like that team, notched a win as they defeated Carson-Newman 75-69 before falling to No. 1 Lincoln Memorial in the semifinals.
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While the 2018-19 season would not see the heights of the previous two years it would open with a No. 20 Division II Bulletin Preseason Ranking and Preseason All-American Honorable Mention honors for Jaylen Taylor from that same organization. It would also see a program record three PBC Player of the Week honors as Aubrey McRae claimed a pair and Kyle Kincey earned his first to close the season.
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Those would be just some of the honors collected by players that Link and his staff have recruited. Over the course of four years Lakers have earned one Preseason All-American recognition (Taylor – 2018-19), two NABC All-Region Second-Team honors (Nathan Powell – 2017-18, Alfonso Davis – 2016-17), a pair of PBC Defensive Player of the Year awards (Davis, 2015-16, 2016-17) and four All-PBC selections (three First-Team).
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Academically those years would be among the strongest in program history as Jaumonee Byrd became the first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in the team’s history and was joined by 1,000-point scorer Dantez Bennamon on the 2016-17 NABC Honors Court. Byrd (2016-17) and McRae (2018-19) would also be named to the PBC All-Academic Team.
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Individually, Link is the only coach in the program’s history to be named PBC Coach of the Year, earning that honor following the 2017-18 season.
PAINE COLLEGE (2010-15, HEAD COACH/INTERIM HEAD COACH)
During his four-plus years as head coach at Paine, he compiled an 81-60 overall record (.574) and 59-41 (.590) mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He also recruited and coached five All-SIAC selections, two Freshman of the Year, a Player of the Year and earned Coach of the Year honors. Additionally, he coached a pair of BoxtoRow All-Americans, a National Player of the Year and was named National Coach of the Year.
His teams have also achieved national recognition in several statistical categories, ranking second in the country in blocks per game (7.0 bpg) and 25th in field goal percentage defense in 2011-12.
He joined the Lions as an assistant coach in July of 2010 before taking over as interim head coach in late December of that year. Taking over a team that was 1-4 and predicted to finish last in the SIAC, he led Paine to a 10-13 record the rest of the way, a berth in the SIAC Tournament and a surprise 68-65 victory over LeMoyne-Owen in the first round.
Following that campaign, Link was named as the permanent head coach of the program and brought about continued success for the Lions. In his first full season at the helm, 2011-12, he won six of his first seven games and produced a 16-13 overall record and a pair of SIAC Tournament wins as part of a trip to the semifinals.
That season also produced a SIAC Freshman of the Year award winner in Kedric Taylor, who averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He was also one of just seven Division II players to record a triple-double on the year.
The 2012-13 campaign would see PC go 14-15 with a 10-8 league mark but make a second consecutive trip to the SIAC semifinals. Mario Jordan, an eventual 1,000-point scorer for the Lions, would go on to earn All-SIAC honors following the season.
A very impressive two-year span would begin with the 2013-14 season as Paine surged to an 18-13 overall record and went 11-7 in league. All-Conference honorees in Taylor and transfer Kenny Fluellen resulted in another trip to the SIAC semifinals.
What had been built over the previous three-plus years would come to fruition in the 2014-15 campaign. This past season, after opening 1-3, the Lions exploded to win 22 of their next 25 games to close the season with a stellar 23-6 record, including a 14-1 home record. Not included in that stretch was a near upset of Division I Kennesaw, 80-75, in a regular season exhibition.
As impressive as that mark was, a 17-2 performance in league play helped the Lions earn the SIAC East Division Championship before making another semifinal appearance. As is to be expected with a season of that magnitude, the postseason recognitions rolled in for Paine.
Link would be named the SIAC Coach of the Year while Denzel Dillingham and Arnis Libazs were All-Conference selections. Dillingham would add Player of the Year as well as Freshman of the Year. Dillingham and Link would add BoxtoRow National Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, respectively.
Dillingham and Libazs each were named All-Americans by that organization while the latter was a two-time SIAC All-Academic Team selection, earning that honor in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
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FLAGLER COLLEGE (2004-05, 2006-08, ASSISTANT COACH) and WASHINGTON COLLEGE (2005-06, ASSISTANT COACH)
Prior to joining Paine, Link began his coaching career in 2004-05 at his alma mater, then NAIA Flagler College. That season he helped the Saints to a 23-8 record, an NAIA Sweet 16 berth and Top-10 national ranking before moving on to an assistant position at Division III Washington College (Md.) in 2005-06. While there he recruited 13 players, a group that helped deliver a 13-14 overall record, a number of wins that was the most by the program since the 2000-01 campaign.
As his alma mater made the transition to the NCAA Division II ranks, Link returned to St. Augustine as an assistant coach from 2006-08. Following a 14-13 outing in that first season, he helped recruit a class that resulted in a strong 20-7 campaign in 2007-08.
NORTH FLORIDA (2008-09, ASSISTANT COACH) and NEWBERRY (2009-10, ASSISTANT COACH)
That performance helped land him an assistant position at recent NCAA Division I transition program North Florida in 2008-09. Following that one season he returned to Division II, joining Southeast Region member Newberry on Steve DeMeo’s staff before making the eventual jump to the staff of 500-game winner Ron O’Spry in the summer of 2010.
COLLEGIATE PLAYING CAREER: FLAGLER COLLEGE (1999-2003)
Paine was not Link’s first experience being part of building a highly successful program as he spent four years playing point guard at then NAIA Flagler from 1999-2003. During that four-year period the Saints produced an 80-39 overall record but were an incredible 66-22 over the final three seasons.
Following 20-8 (2000-01) and 24-6 (2001-02) campaigns that resulted in national rankings both years, the 2002-03 season would prove to be among the best in the program’s history. That year Flagler went 22-8 overall, won the Florida Sun Conference, was nationally ranked four times and made the first NAIA National Tournament appearance in team history.
EDUCATION
Following his playing career, Link graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with an emphasis in Broadcast.
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PERSONAL
He and his wife Jen have three children, Maverick, Beckett and Nash.
THE JIMMY LINK FILE
| Year |
School |
Position |
Overall Record |
Pct. |
Conf. Record |
Pct. |
Conf.
Finish |
Conf.
Tournament |
Postseason
Appearance |
Accolades/
Accomplishments |
| 2004-05 |
Flagler |
Ast. Coach |
23-8 |
.742 |
8-2 |
.800 |
1st |
Runner-Up |
NAIA Tournament
Sweet 16, NAIA Region XIV Tournament
Second Round |
Florida Sun Conference Reg. Season Champions, No. 8 NAIA Final Ranking, League Player of the Year, Co-Freshman of the Year, 2 All-Sun Tournament, 3 All-Sun Selections, 1 Sun Player of the Week |
| 2005-06 |
Washington College |
Ast. Coach |
13-14 |
.482 |
10-8 |
.555 |
4th |
Semifinals |
|
2 All-Centennial Conference |
| 2006-07 |
Flagler |
Ast. Coach |
14-13 |
.519 |
N/A |
 - - - |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2 All-Independent Selections (First-Team) |
| 2007-08 |
Flagler |
Ast. Coach |
20-7 |
.741 |
N/A |
 - - - |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2 All-Independent Selections (Second/Third-Team), 2 All-ICAA Freshman |
| 2008-09 |
North Florida |
Ast. Coach |
8-22 |
.267 |
6-14 |
.300 |
10th |
N/A |
|
|
| 2009-10 |
Newberry |
Ast. Coach |
10-18 |
.357 |
5-11 |
.313 |
T-7th |
Quarterfinals |
|
1 All-SAC Freshman Selection |
| 2010-11 |
Paine* |
Ast. Coach/Interim Head Coach |
11-17 |
.393 |
9-15 |
.375 |
7th |
Quarterfinals |
|
|
| 2011-12 |
Paine |
Head Coach |
16-13 |
.552 |
13-11 |
.542 |
5th |
Semifinals |
|
NCAA Division II National Rankings: 2nd in BPG, 25th in FG% Defense, SIAC Freshman of the Year |
| 2012-13 |
Paine |
Head Coach |
14-15 |
.483 |
9-9 |
.500 |
E4th |
Semifinals |
|
1,000-point Scorer: Mario Jordan |
| 2013-14 |
Paine |
Head Coach |
18-13 |
.581 |
11-7 |
.611 |
E2nd |
Semifinals |
|
3 All-SIAC Selections, 1 SIAC All-Academic Team |
| 2014-15 |
Paine |
Head Coach |
23-6 |
.793 |
17-2 |
.895 |
E1st |
Semifinals |
|
SIAC East Division Champions, BoxtoRow National Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, 2 BoxtoRow All-Americans, SIAC Coach of the Year, SIAC Player of the Year, SIAC Freshman of the Year, 2 All-SIAC Selections, 1 SIAC All-Academic Team |
| 2015-16 |
Clayton State |
Head Coach |
14-12 |
.538 |
9-10 |
.474 |
W5th |
N/A |
|
PBC Defensive Player of the Year, 1 All-PBC Selection (Second-Team) |
| 2016-17 |
Clayton State |
Head Coach |
16-13 |
.552 |
11-8 |
.579 |
W1st |
Quarterfinals |
|
PBC West Division Champions, PBC Defensive Player of the Year, 1 NABC All-Region Selection, 1 All-PBC Selection (First-Team), 1 CoSIDA Academic All-District, 1 PBC All-Academic |
| 2017-18 |
Clayton State |
Head Coach |
24-7 |
.774 |
19-3 |
.864 |
T1st |
Championship Game |
NCAA Division II Tournament - Regional Semifinal |
PBC Regular Season Champions, 1 PBC Coach of the Year (Program First), 1 NABC Team of the Week (Program First), Qualified for NCAA Tournament (First Since 2007-08), Set Program Record for PBC Wins (19), Finished No. 25 in Nation, Won 14 Straight Games (1/24 through 3/3), 1 NABC All-Region (Second-Team), 2 All-PBC Selections (2 First-Team) |
| 2018-19 |
Clayton State |
Head Coach |
10-18 |
.357 |
7-15 |
.318 |
9th |
N/A |
|
DII Bulletin Preseason No. 20, 1 DII Bulletin Preseason All-American, 1 PBC All-Preseason Selection, 3 PBC Weekly Award Winners (Program Record), 1 PBC All-Academic |
Career
 |
Total
(9 Sea.) |
 Head Coach |
145-110
 |
.569 |
104-76 |
.578 |
|
|
|
|
| Career |
Paine
(5 Sea.) |
Head Coach |
81-60 |
.575 |
58-40 |
.644 |
|
|
|
1 SIAC Championship, National Coach of the Year, National Player of the Year, 2 All-Americans, 1 SIAC Coach of the Year, 5 All-SIAC Selections, 2 SIAC All-Academic |
| Career |
Clayton State
(4 Sea.) |
Head Coach |
64-50 |
.561 |
46-36 |
.561 |
|
|
|
2 PBC Regular Season Championship, DII Bulletin Preseason No. 20, 1 DII Bulletin Preseason All-American, 2 NABC All-Region (Second-Team), 1 PBC All-Preseason Selection, 2 PBC Defensive Player of the Year Selections, 4 All-PBC Selections (3 First, 1 Second), 1 CoSIDA Academic All-District, 2 PBC All-Academic |
| Career |
Total
(7 Sea.) |
Ast. Coach |
89-86 |
.509 |
30-39 |
.435 |
|
|
|
|
| Career |
Flagler
(3 Sea.) |
Ast. Coach |
57-28 |
.671 |
8-2 |
.800 |
|
|
1 NAIA Tournament |
1 Sun Regular Season Championship, 1 Conf. Player of the Year, 1 Conf. Co-Freshman of the Year, 7 All-Conference Selections, 2 All-Tournament, 2 All-Freshman |
| Career |
Washington College
(1 Sea.) |
Ast. Coach |
13-14 |
.519 |
10-8 |
.555 |
|
|
|
2 All-Conference |
| Career |
North Florida
(1 Sea.) |
Ast. Coach |
8-22 |
.267 |
6-14 |
.300 |
|
|
|
|
| Career |
Newberry (1 Sea.) |
Ast. Coach |
10-18 |
.357 |
5-11 |
.313 |
|
|
|
1 All-Freshman |
| Career |
Paine
(5 games) |
Ast. Coach |
1-4 |
.200 |
1-4 |
.200 |
|
|
|
|
*Went 10-13 Overall on Interim Basis, 8-11 in SIAC
Updated November 30, 2019, 11:31 a.m.
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