Louis Rowe - Men's Basketball Coach - James Madison University Athletics

Louis Rowe

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
rowelb@jmu.edu
Phone:
540-568-6462
Physical Address:
Convo 117A (895 University Blvd.) / MSC 4701

The 2018-19 season will be the third for Louis Rowe back at James Madison, after Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne announced his hiring as the 10^th men's basketball head coach in program history on March 31, 2016. A former JMU student-athlete and assistant coach, Rowe most recently served as the top assistant coach at Bowling Green.

In his first three seasons at the helm, Rowe has worked through significant roster turnover to lay the groundwork for the future of JMU Men's Basketball.

The 2018-19 season saw the Dukes take a step forward with one of the youngest teams in the country, improving to 14 wins and picking up a victory in the CAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons.

In 2017-18, after returning just two letterwinners from his inaugural season, Rowe and the Dukes produced one of the Colonial Athletic Association's strongest defenses with the help of Third Team All-CAA selection Stuckey Mosley and freshman guards Matt Lewis and Darius Banks, who gave JMU its most CAA All-Rookie selections since 2008-09.

After beginning his coaching career at JMU in 2007, Rowe returned to Harrisonburg after successful stints as an assistant coach at Rider, FIU and Bowling Green.

Rowe first served JMU as a graduate assistant and assistant coach from 2007-12 under head coaches Dean Keener and Matt Brady. He acted as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 campaign, which saw the Dukes win their most games in five years, before pursuing his master's degree from JMU as a graduate assistant under Coach Brady from 2008-10.

After being elevated to assistant coach for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Rowe helped lead the Dukes to 33 wins and worked closely with forward Denzel Bowles, who set a JMU single-season record with 290 rebounds and became the program's first Mid-Major All-American before beginning his professional career in Lithuania and earning an opportunity in the NBA Summer League.

During the 2015-16 season, Rowe served in the lead assistant role for Bowling Green, working primarily with the Falcons' perimeter players as the team advanced to the Mid-American Conference semifinals. He guided guards Zack Denny and Wes Alcegaire to double-digit scoring seasons, as the duo averaged 10.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.

In his two years at FIU, Rowe helped guide the Panthers to 31 wins from 2013-15 and worked closely with Adrian Diaz, who was named to the Conference USA All-Defensive Team in 2014-15 while setting a school record with 99 blocks, a mark that ranked sixth in the country.

Rowe also spent one year at Rider, where he helped guide the Broncos to a 19-15 record and a berth in the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. He kicked off his coaching career with stints at Osceola (Fla.) High School and Dixie Hollis High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., while he completed his JMU undergraduate degree in business administration.

While at JMU, Rowe also established himself as a standout player for the Dukes after transferring from the University of Florida and sitting out the 1992-93 season under NCAA transfer rules. Under legendary coach "Lefty" Driesell, he was a Second Team All-CAA selection in 1993-94 when he averaged 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was a First Team All-CAA choice in 1994-95 when he averaged 21.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.

JMU won the 1993-94 CAA Tournament before falling 64-62 to eventual Final Four participant Florida in the first round of NCAA play. The Dukes finished second in the 1994-95 CAA Tournament. Rowe's 21.7 points per game as a senior still ranks as JMU's fifth-highest single-season scoring mark.

Rowe finished his two JMU seasons with 1,055 points (17.9 per game), 315 rebounds (5.3 per game), 177 assists (3.0 per game), 48 steals (0.8 per game) and 80 blocked shots (1.4 per game). He ranks fourth on JMU's career scoring average list and eighth on its career blocked shots list. He was a 52.2 percent career shooter from the field (409-of-783), was a 73.5 percent career shooter from the foul line (191-of-260) and connected on 46 career 3-point field goals.

Following his two seasons at JMU, Rowe played abroad from 1995-2004, and his professional career included time in Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France, Israel and Greece. He was a member of championship teams in Sweden (1995-96) and Belgium (1999-2000).

Season tickets are now on sale at JMUTickets.com for the 2016-17 men's basketball season under the direction of Louis Rowe. Fans interested in renewal or first-time season ticket sales can request ticket information. JMU continues fundraising efforts towards its new convocation center arena project. Interested donors can call (540) 568-6461 or email dukeclub@jmu.edu.