Wright State men’s basketball assistant coach Sharif Chambliss and associate head coach Brian Cooley have been selected as the top two assistant coaches in the Horizon League by their peers.
 
In a series by Stadium Sports highlighting some of the best assistants in college basketball, Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman polled at least 20 coaches, primarily assistants, from each conference and asked for them to name the top assistant coaches in their respective leagues.
 
Both assistants have been part of the Wright State program since head coach Scott Nagy took over the Raiders prior to the 2016-17 campaign. Wright State was one of just 11 programs nationally to have five or more staff members in their fourth season or more together in 2019-20.
 
Chambliss was ranked first in the Stadium poll and Cooley was second.
 
“Sharif has a unique ability to foster relationships. You can say when it comes to Sharif, he has never met a stranger,” an unnamed Horizon League assistant said in the poll. “This ability allows recruits and their families to be very comfortable with him.”
 
Cooley also received high marks around the league.
 
“Wright State is always near the top of the league because they recruit well and are well-prepared each game, and Brian has been a major part in that [with him] being (Scott) Nagy’s right-hand man for so long,” an unnamed Horizon League assistant said in the poll. “Brian is someone who has been a big factor in the success at Wright State and has a great eye for talent.”
 
“Sharif has been a huge asset to our staff because he immediately puts people at ease when he meets them. He is a rare recruiter that can go into any environment and be comfortable. The players respond well to him because he is such a positive person,” Nagy said. “Brian is the perfect assistant coach because he loves the game like nobody I’ve worked with. He also loves all the work associated with being a coach and is a tremendous teacher of the fundamentals. On top of all of that, he is incredibly organized, which takes a huge load off my shoulders.”
 
Milwaukee’s Paris Parham was third in the poll and UIC assistant Dee Brown was fourth. Northern Kentucky’s Eric Haut and Cleveland State’s Rob Summers rounded out the poll tied for fifth.
 
The Raiders won 25 games in 2019-20, setting the new program standard for most wins in a regular season in the Division I Era, and won 15 Horizon League games, also a new program-best, on the way to Wright State’s first outright Horizon League regular season title in program history. Additionally, the team’s six road Horizon League victories were the most in program history and the Raiders were a perfect 9-0 at home in league play on the way to a 14-2 overall home mark at the Nutter Center.