| Jeff Battle |
|
|
Jeff Battle Photo Gallery
Full Name: Jeff Battle
Birth Date: October 26, 1961
Birth Place: Philadelphia, Pa.
Wife: Joyce
Son: Jordan (15)
College: Marshall University, 1985
Degree: Physical Education
Graduate School: University of Delaware (1988)
Master's Degree: Physical Education
High School: Dobbins Tech in Philadelphia, Pa.
Playing Background: Played four seasons at Marshall, from 1982-85
Coaching History
2002-Current: Associate Head Coach, Wake Forest
1995-2001 (7 seasons): Assistant Coach, Xavier
1994 (1 season): Assistant Coach, Loyola (MD)
1991-93 (3 seasons): Assistant Coach, Delaware State
1989-90 (2 seasons): Head Coach, Caesar Rodney High
School in Dover, Del.
1987-88 (2 seasons): Graduate Assistant Coach, Delaware
1986 (1 season): Graduate Assistant Coach, Marshall
Jeff Battle, known nationally as one of college basketball's top assistant coaches, begins his eighth season at Wake Forest as associate head coach and his 24th season overall in the coaching profession.
Battle, who served as associate head coach for six years under Skip Prosser, enters his second season in that role with Dino Gaudio.
Battle coached alongside Prosser for 14 years and at three different institutions. He was on the Loyola (Md.) College staff in 1993-94 when Prosser made his head coaching debut, then joined him on the sidelines at Xavier for seven seasons before coming to Winston-Salem prior to the start of the 2001-02 season. Battle and Gaudio have been coaching together for each of the past eight seasons, including one at Xavier in 2000-01.
Battle has been instrumental in Wake Forest's success the past seven seasons as the Deacons won a school-record 27 games in 2005, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and won the 2003 ACC regular season title. Wake Forest has averaged more than 20 wins per season during Battle's tenure.
Battle, a tireless recruiter, has helped bring in a number of top notch recruiting classes. His 2008 class was ranked No. 3 in the nation according to Rivals.com.
FoxSports.com recently named Battle as one of the top high-major assistant coaches in the country.
"I believe in what we are striving to accomplish as a coaching staff and as an athletic department," Battle said. "It truly is an exciting time to be at Wake Forest."
At both Wake Forest and Xavier, Battle has concentrated his expertise on the development of the guards. Both Chris Paul, a 2005 All-American, and Josh Howard, a 2003 NBA first-round draft pick, credit Battle with their emergence as all-around players. At Xavier, Battle played a big role in helping James Posey make the transition from post player to perimeter player.
At Xavier, Battle was instrumental in the Musketeers' success from 1995 through 2001. During his seven seasons at Xavier, the Musketeers won 20 games or more six times while advancing to postseason play six times, including five NCAA Tournament appearances. Xavier averaged more than 21 wins per season during Battle's tenure on the sidelines.
In 1993-94 at Loyola, Battle was a part of one of college basketball's greatest turnarounds. The year before Prosser and Battle arrived at Loyola, the Greyhounds were a dismal 2-25. But Loyola turned its fortunes around under Prosser's staff, finishing 17-13 and making the NCAA Tournament for the only time in school history.
Prior to Loyola, Battle was an assistant coach for three seasons at Delaware State. The 1990-91 Hornets set a school record for victories with 19 and had the school's best-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference mark at 10-6.
In 1989 and 1990, Battle served as head coach at Caesar Rodney High School in Dover, Del.
Battle, 46, began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Marshall University (1985-86) under head coach Rick Huckaby and as a graduate assistant at Delaware (1986-88) under coach Steve Steinwedel. Both teams enjoyed success during that time. Marshall was 19-11 in 1985-86, while Delaware was 31-25 from 1986-88.
Prosser frequently cited Battle as the key in helping prepare Josh Howard for his career in the NBA and also credited him for much of the success of the recruiting efforts.
Battle's success as a coach followed an illustrious career as a player. He played four seasons at Marshall, helping the Thundering Herd compile a record of 82-38 from 1982-85. Battle was the starting point guard and a captain in his junior and senior seasons, guiding Marshall to two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.
Battle, born Oct. 26, 1961 in Philadelphia, received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Marshall. He received his master's degree in physical education from Delaware in 1988. Battle and his wife, Joyce, reside in Winston-Salem with their son, Jordan (15).
