BIOGRAPHY

James “Bruiser” Flint is now in his sixth season as Drexel’s Head Coach. Flint has established Drexel as one of the top programs in the Colonial Athletic Association since arriving on the University City campus in 2001. Last year, Flint led a young team to 15 wins, three national television appearances and a trip to Madison Square Garden and a berth in the NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals. A two-time CAA Coach of the Year, Flint’s teams have advanced to the postseason three times in his first five seasons and have won at least 11 conference games four times. Only three other schools in the CAA have matched that feat during that time. He has an 83-65 record at the school and an impressive 56-34 (.622) mark in CAA play. Flint has already moved into fourth place in career wins at Drexel. Since his arrival, the Dragons have had the CAA Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions, have had eight All-CAA selections and seven members of the conference’s All-Defensive team. Flint recently served his second stint with USA Basketball. During the summer of 2005, Flint was an Assistant Coach for the USA Under 21 World Championship Team that played in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The team posted a 7-1 record. His first stint came as a court coach prior to the Global Games. During the 2004-05 season, despite key injuries to a number of players, Drexel had a 17-12 mark and a 12-6 record in the CAA. The Dragons had their highest RPI rating since the Malik Rose years and took Mid American Conference runner-up Buffalo to overtime on its home court in the opening round of the NIT. It was the third straight time Flint led a Drexel team to the postseason. In 2003-04, Flint was named the CAA Coach of the Year after leading a team picked to finish in a tie for fourth place to a second-place finish with a 13-5 league record. The Dragons won 12 of their last 15 regular-season games and finished just one game behind Virginia Commonwealth. Overall, Flint’s team finished 18-11 and advanced to the NIT for the second straight season. The Dragons lost at Villanova in the first round. In his second season, Flint returned the Dragons to the postseason for the first time in six years. Drexel won 19 games and finished with a 12-6 record in the CAA. The Dragons won two games at the CAA Tournament and advanced to the championship game. Drexel lost in the finals, but was rewarded with a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, only the sixth postseason appearance in the school’s history at the time. Flint, who owns a 169-137 career record, returned home to his native Philadelphia when he took over as Drexel’s head coach on April 5, 2001. In his first year, Flint led a team that was picked to finish ninth in the CAA to an 11-7 mark, tying them for third in the league. The Dragons finished with a 14-14 record. For his efforts, Flint was named the CAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Flint picked up his 100th career victory in Drexel’s 68-65 win against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 18, 2002. Flint arrived at Drexel after a 12-year stint at UMass. He was an assistant coach for seven seasons before becoming the school’s 17th head basketball coach. He compiled an 86-72 career record, including a 52-28 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play at UMass. He led three of his teams to postseason play and was the NABC District I Co-Coach of the Year in 1998. Flint was the fastest coach in UMass history to reach 30 wins and was the winningest first-year coach ever at UMass. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Coppin State University before joining the UMass staff. A 1987 Saint Joseph’s graduate, Flint, 39, was a four-year letterwinner with the Hawks. He earned All-Atlantic 10 honors as a senior and led Saint Joseph’s to the 1986 A-10 championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament as a junior. The Hawks also made NIT appearances in 1984 and 1985. He was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and graduated with a degree in financial management. Flint graduated from nearby Episcopal Academy in 1983. He was a First Team All-Philadelphia and Third Team All-State selection following his senior season. Flint finished his prep career ranked second on the Inter-Academic Conference’s all-time scoring and assist lists, and was named the league’s MVP as a senior. Flint, his wife, Rene, and their daughter, Jada, reside in Philadelphia.