Chris Shumate has been named an assistant coach by Northern Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Brannen.
Shumate joins assistant coaches Sean Dwyer and Tim Morris, as well as director of basketball operations Tony Rack and video coordinator Michael Massa on NKU’s staff.
“I am excited to have Chris and his family join our program here at NKU,” said Brannen. “Chris brings a wealth of experience as a coach and a recruiter. His energy and enthusiasm in building relationships and developing student-athletes will be instrumental as we continue our rise in the Horizon League.”
Shumate is a native of the Bluegrass State with strong ties to the Commonwealth and the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region.
He spent last season at Western Kentucky, which followed stints at both Tennessee and Southern Miss. Following a sensational playing career at Murray State that culminated with two years of professional basketball in the NBA D-League, Shumate was hired by his former college coach Mick Cronin at Cincinnati.
At UC, Shumate served as the director of basketball operations for two years prior to being named the director of student-athlete development, a role in which he held for four seasons.
During his playing days at Murray State Shumate earned two Ohio Valley all-conference selections. His name litters the Racers’ record books, ranking in the top-25 in scoring (1,207, 24th), three-pointers (170, 8th), steals (125, T-10th), assists (252, 14th), blocks (37, 15th) and field goals made (459, T-20th).
Shumate graduated from MSU in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business. He and his wife Meredith have three children – Addison, Chloe and Gates.
The Norse just completed their first season as member of the Horizon League. They exceeded expectations by finishing two places higher than their preseason ranking.
Next year’s team features sharp-shooter Cole Murray and Horizon all-freshman performer Drew McDonald, as well as an incoming class that Next Up Recruits called “easily one of the best mid-major classes in the country for the class of 2016.”
From NKU Athletics