James Wilson, formerly the associate head coach at USF and a successful head coach at Utah State, joined the Georgia State staff as the head coach of the men's tennis team in 2022.Â
Named in August 2022, he takes over a Panther squad coming off an appearance in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the Sun Belt Conference champions.
"I'm honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead the Panthers and be a part of this great Georgia State family," Wilson said upon his hiring. "A special thanks goes to [Director of Athletics] Charlie Cobb and [Senior Associate AD] Brian Kelly for entrusting me and believing in my abilities. I'm very fortunate to step into a program that has had recent success, and I'm looking forward to building upon that and taking it to the next level."Â
Wilson came to GSU after last three seasons on the staff at USF, helping the Bulls to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, USF posted a 17-10 record and knocked off Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Florida in the second round. Wilson helped the Bulls return to the NCAAs in 2022 with a 14-11 mark.
Before going to USF in 2019-20, Wilson spent three seasons as the head coach at Utah State and guided the Aggies to perhaps the best three-year stretch in program history, highlighted by back-to-back conference titles and NCAA berths. His three-year record was 61-27.
As a rookie head coach in 2016-17, Wilson guided Utah State to a school-record 23 victories, the first Mountain West Conference title in school history and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.
The following year, Wilson was named the 2018 Mountain West Coach of the Year as he led Utah State to a 19-9 record and the highest ranking in program history at No. 37. The Aggies again won the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles and played in their second-straight NCAA Tournament. The Aggies added another 19-win season in 2019.
Wilson went to Utah State after three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Texas Tech, helping the Red Raiders to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a national ranking as high as No. 6 in 2016. During his time in Lubbock, Texas Tech compiled a dual-match record of 60-26 and had numerous student-athletes in national rankings.Â
Prior to his tenure at Texas Tech, Wilson was an assistant coach at UNLV during the 2012-13 season, helping lead the Rebels to a 17-7 dual-match record, and at William & Mary for the 2011-12 season.
He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with the men's and women's teams at Texas Tech, following his three years as a student-athlete for the Red Raiders. Wilson was a two-year team captain at Texas Tech and the Red Raiders were 47-28 overall and advanced to three NCAA Tournaments during his collegiate career.
He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas Tech in 2009 and added a master's degree in exercise and sport psychology in 2013. He was a member of the President's Honor List, the National Scholastic Honor Society, Big 12 Honor Roll and the Commissioners Honor Roll during his collegiate career.Â
Wilson and his wife Cristina have one daughter, Madeline.
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