Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- haymond@sfasu.edu
- Phone:
- 468-6705
As he begins his third season on Kyle Keller’s staff as an assistant coach in the 2019-20 academic year, Desmond Haymon - and his invaluable imprint on SFA men’s basketball - continues to expand as the former Lumberjack star is well on his way to becoming one of the premier assistant coaches both in the Southland Conference and in all of NCAA Division I men’s basketball.
Through the course of 2018-19, Haymon played a part in helping Shannon Bogues and Kevon Harris develop into one of the deadliest scoring duos in all of college basketball. Bogues and Harris claimed NABC All-District 23 First Team citations as well as spots on the All-Southland Conference Second Team by becoming just the second pair of Lumberjack in the program's NCAA Division I-era history to each score 500 or more points in a single season.
All the Pickens, Miss., native did in 2017-18 was help orchestrate NCAA Division I basketball's 12th-biggest turnaround from the previous year. Earning a third-place finish in the Southland Conference regular season standings, the 'Jacks won three games in the Southland Conference Tournament to earn the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.
In the 2018 edition of the big dance, the 'Jacks earned a 14-seed in the east region and faced off against third-seeded and 14th-ranked Texas Tech in Dallas during the tournament's opening round.
All told, the 'Jacks posted a record of 28-7 which included a 14-4 showing in Southland Conference games as well as a program-best 16 home triumphs which helped maintain the nation's best home court winning percentage over the last six seasons. During that span, SFA has gone 87-4 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum for a winning percentage of .956.
The year culminated with Haymon being named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Under Armour 30-Under-30 list. The NABC’s annual list recognizes the exemplary efforts of young men's basketball coaches across all divisions of college basketball and featured 15 NCAA Division I assistant coaches including Haymon - three of whom coached at a DI program in the state of Texas.
Following a playing career that ranks among the best all time at Stephen F. Austin as well as a two-year stint as a graduate assistant, it was announced in May of 2017 by SFA head coach Kyle Keller that Haymon would been elevated to the position of assistant men's basketball coach for the 'Jacks.
Through his first two seasons on staff in Nacogdoches (2015-16 and 2016-17), Haymon served as the 'Jacks' graduate manager. In that role, the he assisted in film breakdown, opponent scouting and coordinated film exchange with opposing teams. Additionally, he assisted with recruiting and team travel coordination.
During Haymon's time as a member of the coaching staff, the 'Jacks have posted a record of 88-44 with a 51-21 showing against Southland Conference opposition. Haymon helped the team advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016 before the 'Jacks made their fifth-straight postseason appearance with a trip to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament to conclude the 2016-17 campaign.
"SFA feels just like a home to me and so many of my fondest memories are associated with this program and how it has elevated itself into the national spotlight through the efforts of excellent coaches, players and staff members,” Haymond says. “To help continue the growth of the program is humbling and I am eager to continue this stage of my career at a place that has given me so much through the years."
No stranger to the successes of the program, Haymon was responsible for producing one of the most famous plays in the 'Jacks' history and swinging the national spotlight squarely on Stephen F. Austin in the process. It was his four-point play with just seconds to go in the 'Jacks second-round NCAA Tournament bout with VCU which forced overtime and eventually led to SFA upsetting the fifth-seeded Rams for the program's first NCAA Tournament win.
When it came time to close the books on Haymon's career, he had amassed 1,159 points - the 18th-highest career total in program history - and earned a spot on the 2014 All-Southland Conference Second Team, the Southland Conference All-Tournament Team and was a Second Team NABC All-District performer in that same campaign.
As a junior in 2012-13, Haymon parlayed his basketball skills into an Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference selection as well as a spot on the Southland Conference All-Tournament Team.
The true epitome of a student-athlete, Haymon's academic prowess matched his on-court production as he finished his collegiate career as a three-time Southland Conference All-Academic First Team selection.
A dual graduate of Stephen F. Austin, Haymon received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a minor in general business in 2014 before earning a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies in December of 2016. He and his wife, Chandra, were married in June of 2018 and have a son, Desmond, Jr.
What they’re saying about Haymon
SFA head coach Kyle Keller: “I am thrilled for both Desmond and our current players that he is being elevated in his role for this team. Desmond has served at a championship level as a player, graduate assistant and graduate manager here at SFA and we are fortunate to have him progress up the ranks as one of our assistant coaches. He was a model student-athlete who helped usher in the program's greatest era. I am blessed to have him teach and recruit players who will represent SFA and Lumberjack basketball with the same enthusiasm and professionalism as he continues to do."
