The College of Coastal Georgia President Dr. Johnny Evans Jr. and Director of Athletics Zack Rogers have named Tim MacAllister as the third men's basketball head coach in program history.
Coach MacAllister is a 2007 graduate of Logan County High School where he played basketball under Coach Jeff Rogers and football under Coach xx. His dad, Scot MacAllister, was the Lady Cougar basketball coach.
"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Tim MacAllister and his family to the College of Coastal Georgia," stated Director of Athletics Zack Rogers. "His experience working with some of the top basketball minds in collegiate coaching at Texas Tech, Creighton, Western Kentucky, and Georgia Southern immediately elevates our program, will transform our culture, and serve as the foundation for building a championship program here at Coastal Georgia. His passion for the game, commitment to student-athlete development, and vision for the future make him a perfect fit to lead our men's basketball program. We're excited to begin this new chapter of Mariner's basketball and look forward to the energy and leadership he will bring both on and off the court."
MacAllister has appeared in six NCAA Tournaments during his tenure, worked with four All-Americans and has worked with multiple players drafted into the NBA — Murray State's Isaiah Canaan in 2013, Creighton's Justin Patton in 2017, Khyri Thomas in 2018, and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver in 2019 and Jahmi'us Ramsey in 2020.
""I am honored and excited to be the next Head Men's Basketball Coach at the College of Coastal Georgia," said MacAllister. "I'd like to thank Dr. Evans and Zack Rogers for their belief in me to lead this program forward. The leadership, location and thriving community all make this a great opportunity to build a championship program. My wife Ashley and my children Zeke and Addie are all fired up to get to Brunswick and get started. Go. Mariners!"
MacAllister comes to Brunswick following an impressive 14-year career through the NCAA Division I and III ranks with his most recent stop being at Western Kentucky as an assistant coach for the past two seasons. During the 2024-25 season with the Hilltoppers, MacAllister coached four All-CUSA players including Don McHenry, who was named All-CUSA Second Team. Western Kentucky finished the season 17-15, dropping their first-round matchup of the C-USA Tournament to Florida International. The season prior, Western Kentucky won the C-USA Conference Tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the round of 64 to Marquette.
Prior to his stint at WKU, MacAllister spent three seasons at Georgia Southern as an assistant coach from 2020-23. With a focus on the defensive side of the basketball with the Eagles, Georgia Southern allowed 65.6 points a game in 2021-22, the eighth-best scoring defense in school history, and Eagle opponents shot 41 percent from the field, which ranked third in the Sun Belt and was the second-best field goal percentage defense in a season at Georgia Southern.
From 2017-20, MacAllister served as the Chief of Staff for Texas Tech, helping lead the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA National Championship finals and to the Big 12 Conference regular-season championship in his first season as the program's Chief of Staff. The 2018-2019 season entailed Texas Tech's first Big 12 regular-season championship, Final Four appearance and the Red Raiders' winningest season ever with a 31-7 record.
MacAllister also spent three seasons at Creighton from 2015-17 where he assisted in leading the Bluejays to an NIT quarterfinal appearance in 2016, followed by consecutive NCAA Tournament trips in 2017 and 2018. His time at Creighton overlapped with former Hilltoppers head coach and current head coach for Oklahoma State Steve Lutz Lutz for all three seasons. MacAllister also worked under long time Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, who has been at Creighton for 15 seasons, leading the Bluejays to three Sweet 16's and one Elite Eight appearance during his tenure.
Prior to going to Creighton and Texas Tech, he coached at Emory University in Atlanta, where he worked as an assistant for one season. The Eagles won at No. 1 Wisconsin-Stevens Point to reach the Division III Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater.
"I am excited to welcome Tim MacAllister to the Coastal family," said President Dr. Johnny Evans Jr. "I know he will be a strong advocate for student athlete success, both on and off the court. Go, Mariners!"
MacAllister has been a vital asset to many successful programs at every stop leading up to his current role. He began as a student assistant to a Murray State team that won both the OVC regular-season and tournament championship in 2011-12 with an incredible 31-2 record.
Originally from California, and born in Grand Forks, N.D., MacAllister, however, went to Logan County High School, where he played football; his sisters, Kayla and Shannon, joined in playing LCHS basketball. MacAllister earned his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Murray State and holds a Master of Science in Leadership from Creighton.
MacAllister also served in the Air National Guard between 2007 and 2013, including a stint overseas in Kyrgyzstan. He finished his career as a staff sergeant in security forces.
He and Ashley were married in 2014. Most recently, Ashley was the head rifle coach at Nebraska, and coached Puerto Rico in the 2016 Olympics.
Costal Georgia finished 8-17 last season including 5-11 in SUN conference games. The school’s sports teams play National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) competition. Eight of the 10 colleges in the conference are located in Florida with the other two in Georgia.
After 10 seasons at the helm of the College of Coastal Georgia men's basketball program, head coach Jesse Watkins decided to step away from the program.
Watkins took over the program in 2014 after the retirement of Coastal Georgia coaching legend Gerald Cox. Since taking over, Watkins coached 16 All-Conference players, three NAIA All-Americans and six Conference All-Academic players.
Watkins was a member of the Mariners men's basketball program for two seasons from 1990-92, playing for Coach Cox. Watkins returned to Coastal Georgia in 2012 to assist Coach Cox before taking over the program. When Cox retired after 28 years as head coach, Watkins followed him.
Tim MacAllister becomes only the third head men’s basketball coach in the 39 years Coastal Georgia has fielded a team.