Mike Pegues
Mike Pegues (born January 13, 1978) is an American men's basketball coach who is currently an assistant for the Butler University men's basketball team. He previously served as an assistant and then interim head coach for the University of Louisville from 2018–2022. He is also known for his playing career at Delaware, where he was a three-time first-team All-America East Conference selection, as well as the league's player of the year in 1998–99.
| Butler Bulldogs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | Big East Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 13, 1978 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
| College | Delaware (1996–2000) |
| NBA draft | 2000: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2000–2005 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Coaching career | 2005–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2000 | Titano San Marino |
| 2000–2001 | Connecticut Pride |
| 2003 | Canterbury Rams |
| 2003 | Otago Nuggets |
| 2003–2004 | Leicester Riders |
| 2005 | Atenas |
| As coach: | |
| 2005–2006 | Friendship Collegiate Academy |
| 2006–2009 | Bishop O’Connell HS (assistant) |
| 2009–2010 | VCU (video coordinator) |
| 2010–2012 | Delaware (assistant) |
| 2012–2018 | Xavier (assistant) |
| 2018–2022 | Louisville (assistant) |
| 2022 | Louisville (interim HC) |
| 2022–present | Butler (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Playing career
High school
Pegues, a 6'5", 240-lb power forward from Forestville, Maryland, played at national basketball power DeMatha Catholic High School from 1992 to 1996 and was a teammate of former Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook.[1] His head coach was Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Morgan Wootten. During his four-year high school career he compiled an overall record of 105–26, including two #1 rankings in the Washington, D.C. area.
College
After graduating from DeMatha Catholic in 1996, Pegues enrolled at the University of Delaware on a basketball scholarship to play for head coach Mike Brey (who is, coincidentally, also a DeMatha alumnus).[1] During a college career that spanned between 1996 and 2000, Pegues became the first player in school history to earn three first team all-conference selections as well as its first conference player of the year.[2][3] He scored a still-standing Delaware record 2,030 points and guided the Fightin' Blue Hens to two NCAA Tournaments (1998, 1999) and one National Invitation Tournament (2000).[3] In both 1997–98 and 1998–99, Delaware was America East regular season and tournament champions. When he was named the America East Conference Player of the Year as a junior,[4] Pegues averaged 21.8 points per game. Although he did not repeat as player of the year as a senior, his overall career was good enough to have him enshrined in the University of Delaware Hall of Fame in 2007.[2]
Professional
Pegues did not get selected in the 2000 NBA draft but had a professional career that took him to Italy, England, Argentina, New Zealand and the Continental Basketball Association in the United States.[5]
Coaching career
A knee injury ended Pegues' playing career after several seasons, and he became a teacher at Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School.[5] He also coached high school and Amateur Athletic Union basketball.[5] In 2009–10, Pegues served as the video coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth before joining the staff at Delaware in 2010–11.[5] In 2012, Pegues was hired as an assistant for coach Chris Mack at Xavier.[6]
In 2018, Mack took the head coaching job at Louisville and Pegues followed him there. Pegues served as acting head coach for the first six games of the 2021–22 season while Mack was suspended; he went 5–1 and won the Bahamas Championship.
On January 26, 2022, Pegues was named the interim head coach after Louisville and Mack mutually parted ways.[7] On March 18, 2022, Pegues tenure at Louisville came to an end upon the announcement that Kenny Payne would become the next permanent head coach for the Cardinals.[8] Following the season, Pegues was hired as an assistant for head coach Thad Matta at Butler.[9]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Cardinals (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2021–present) | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | Louisville* | 7–11 | 1–9 | T–11th | |||||
| Louisville: | 7–11 (.389) | 1–9 (.100) | |||||||
| Total: | 7–11 (.389) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
*Pegues coached the first six games of the 2021–22 season during Chris Mack's suspension and went 5–1 (0–0 ACC). Then on January 26, 2022, he took over again as the interim head coach for the rest of the year following the permanent departure of Mack.
References
- "Catching Up with a Blue Hens Legend". Town Square Delaware. June 2, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- "Eight athletes join UD Hall of Fame". University of Delaware. 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- "Mike Pegues Selected as Top Player in Delaware Men's Basketball History as Part of 100th Anniversary Season". University of Delaware. March 9, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- "2011–12 America East Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). America East Conference. 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- Speace, Katie (May 3, 2010). "Mike Pegues named assistant basketball coach". UDReview.com. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- Russell, Shannon (May 19, 2012). "Xavier hires two assistant coaches". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
- Suckow, Alex (January 26, 2022). "Chris Mack out as head coach of UofL men's basketball team". WLKY. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- Rutherford, Mike (March 18, 2022). "Louisville officially names Kenny Payne new head men's basketball coach". SBNation. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- Clark, Dave (April 11, 2022). "Thad Matta adds former Xavier assistant Mike Pegues to Butler coaching staff, per reports". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved April 12, 2022.