Wes Flanigan

Wes Flanigan begins his first season on the Nebraska bench after joining the coaching staff in May of 2010.

Flanigan brings a variety of experiences and a history of success throughout his career, which includes coaching at UAB, UALR and in the junior college ranks. He was also an All-Southeastern Conference point guard at Auburn in the mid-1990s.

Flanigan comes to Lincoln after spending the past two seasons in Birmingham, Ala., where he helped UAB to 47 wins and a pair of postseason appearances. Overall, Flanigan has been associated with three straight 20-win teams, including the last two reaching the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

The Blazers went 25-9 in 2009-10, including an 11-5 Conference USA finish, before reaching the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. UAB defeated Coastal Carolina and NC State before falling to eventual runner-up North Carolina. Among the 25 victories was a December win over NCAA runner-up Butler, the Bulldogs' last loss of the regular season.

With the Blazers, Flanigan worked primarily with the perimeter players, helping UAB rank in the school record book. In 2008-09, UAB connected on 228 3-pointers, the third-highest total in school history.

Prior to his stint at UAB, Flanigan worked four seasons at UALR (2004-05 to 2007-08). In his final season with the Trojans, Flanigan served as associate head coach/recruiting coordinator, helping the UALR squad to a 20-11 record. It was the teams' second campaign with at least 18 wins with Flanigan assisting from the bench.

Like Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler, Flanigan is a native of Arkansas (Little Rock) and has a strong background in the junior college ranks. Flanigan spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College, working with both the men's and women's squads. They combined for a 199-90 record, including an impressive 119-39 mark by the men's team. The NMCC men won two MACJC North Division titles and three Region XXII championships to advance to the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. The women's team recorded five postseason appearances with Flanigan on the bench.

The similarity to Sadler's career does not end there. Flanigan is also the son of a coach (Sadler's father was a high school football coach for more than 30 years), as Al Flanigan coaches at Little Rock Parkview High School.

After playing for his father at Parkview, where Wes was named the 1992-93 Gatorade High School Player of the Year for Arkansas, Flanigan earned four letters at Auburn (1993-94 to 1996-97). He was team co-captain for three seasons and finished his college career averaging 10.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. He graduated from Auburn with a degree in health promotion in 1997.

As a junior, Flanigan had a stellar season, averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 assists while earning All-SEC honors and being named the team's MVP. He was honored as Auburn University's top student-athlete in 1997 and was twice recognized by the university with awards for his leadership abilities. Flanigan still ranks in the top 20 all-time for scoring (1,228 points) and ranks second in Tiger history with 573 assists.

Flanigan and his wife, Katrina, have three sons: Michael Lewis (17), Allen (9) and Collin (2).