LSUS names Chad McDowell men's basketball coach
January 09, 2003
LSUS has named former school standout Chad McDowell as its men's basketball coach. The university's chancellor, Dr. Vince Marsala, and its new athletic director, Doug Robinson, made the announcement.
Robinson commented this is the second time he has hired McDowell. Robinson was athletic director at Southwood High School when he hired McDowell as boy's basketball coach in 2001.
McDowell, whose Southwood team went to the Louisiana Class 5A championship game last year and is currently sporting a 23-1 record, played basketball at LSUS for four of the sport's six years in the mid-1990's. As a senior in the 1994-95 season, McDowell held more than a dozen school single-season and school records, and was the third leading scorer and second in assist average in the NAIA's Southwest Region. In his final season at LSUS, the 5'10" guard scored 20.2 points per game, averaged 5.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds. While at LSUS, he was twice named Southwest Region Player of the Week and was a finalist for Louisiana Player of the Year.
McDowell has one of the best records in the state over the past two seasons at 52-8 as of Tuesday's victory over Captain Shreve. He was named Louisiana's Class 5A Coach of the Year for the 2001-02 season. In his first season at Southwood, he turned a lackluster boys' basketball program which had not made the playoffs in five years into the runner-up in Class 5A.
He graduated from LSUS in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary and secondary health and physical education. He received certification in mild/moderate generic special education from LSUS in 2000.
In 1996-97, he taught at Southwood High School and was assistant girls' basketball coach and head girls' freshman coach.
From 1997 to 2001, he was boys' head basketball coach at C.E. Byrd High School, the youngest head coach in a Louisiana 5A school. He also taught mild/moderate special education. In his four seasons at Byrd, he compiled an 86-48 record, with his 2000-01 team going 28-8 and making the state playoffs.
Some of Chad McDowell's LSUS Records
No. 1 in career assists - 513
No. 1 in career steals - 208
No. 2 in career scoring - 1,449
No. 3 in career scoring average - 13.3
Personal high points in a season - 586 (1994-95 - Senior Year)
Personal single-game scoring high - 40 points
