Nebraska Gains Veteran Coach and Recruiter in Jerome Francis

Lincoln, Neb. --- Nebraska men’s basketball coach Barry Collier announced today that Jerome Francis Jr., a highly regarded recruiter and technician, has been hired as an assistant coach to complete the Husker staff.

Francis brings an extensive coaching background to the Huskers and will provide valuable knowledge and leadership after serving as a Division I head coach the past three seasons. Francis began his first head coaching job in 2002 when he took over the program at Prairie View A&M University.

"Obviously we are excited to have Jerome Francis join our staff as he has a tremendous amount of experience as an assistant coach and he brings another great quality with experience as a Division I head coach," Collier said. "I'm looking forward to having him on my staff again as we were together at Butler in the early 1990s. He is aggressive and his personality and physical style of coaching will be a great fit at Nebraska and in the Big 12."

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Francis was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Coach of the Year for the 2002-03 season after guiding the Panthers to a 17-12 record, including a regular-season league title with a 14-4 mark. It was PVAMU's first conference title since 1962, which helped Francis to be named National Rookie Coach of the Year by collegeinsider.com.

Francis helped five players earn all-league honors that season, including first-team selection and SWAC Player of the Year honoree Gregory Burks. Malachi Thurston was also a second-team selection and the league's newcomer of the year. Overall, Francis led Prairie View A&M to a 29-55 record in three seasons with players earning eight all-league honors.

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach Collier again, especially at an outstanding university like Nebraska," Francis said. "There is a great administration in place with Athletic Director Steve Pederson and I look forward to meeting the people of Lincoln and helping build a quality team for them to come see at the Devaney Center. Our number one goal is to graduate student-athletes, but winning championships will be the icing on the cake."

Before taking over the head job at Prairie View A&M, Francis was an assistant coach for 10 years after graduating from The Ohio State University in 1991 with a degree in education.

Francis' first coaching position came in 1992 when he was an assistant at Bowling Green State University. Francis went on to spend one season on Collier's staff at Butler (1993-94), helping the Bulldogs to a 16-13 mark and a second-place finish in the Midwest Collegiate Conference standings.

Francis then returned to his alma mater where he was an assistant coach for three seasons (1994-95 to 1996-97) before ending up at Ball State for three years (1997-98 to 1999-2000). Francis then spent two seasons (2000-01 and 2001-02) at the University of Houston before taking over the Panther's head coaching position.

A four-year starter and team co-captain in 1989, ranks among the Buckeye's all-time leaders in games played (133), games started (126) and points (1,486), as well as assists and steals. Francis helped OSU to at least 19 wins and a postseason berth each of his four seasons, including a 19-14 mark as a freshman in 1986 when the Buckeyes won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title.

Francis fills the spot left open by Reggie Rankin, who departed to take a similar position at Dayton near his family in early May.

Jerome Francis Biographical Information
Name: Jerome Francis Jr.
Birthdate: July 30, 1967
Family: Twin daughters, Jaren and Jerel (11); son, Jeremiah (5)
High School: Wehrle High School (1985)
College: Ohio State, 1991 (bachelor of arts, science of education)
Collegiate Coaching Experience:
Head Coach, Prairie View A&M University, May 2002 to May 2005
Assistant Coach, University of Houston, May 2000 to May 2002
Assistant Coach, Ball State University, Sept. 1997 to May 2000
Assistant Coach, University of Wyoming, March 1997 to Aug. 1997
Assistant Coach, The Ohio State University, Oct. 1994 to March 1997
Assistant Coach, Butler University, June 1993 to Oct. 1994