Kenneth Lee "Doc" Sadler (born June 12, 1960) is an American
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
coach. He was the head men's basketball coach at the
University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...
(Southern Miss), a position he held from 2014 through the 2018-19 season. Sadler served as the head men's basketball coach at the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...
(UTEP) from 2004 to 2006 and the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univer ...
from 2006 to 2012.
Biography
Early life
Sadler is a native of
Greenwood, Arkansas
Greenwood is a city in and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is the fifth largest municipality in the Fort Smith, Arkansas- Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 8,952 according to ...
.
Playing career
Sadler received his undergraduate degree from the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, where he was a student manager under legendary coach
Eddie Sutton
Edward Eugene Sutton (March 12, 1936 – May 23, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) and was a head coach at the high school, juni ...
.
Coaching career
Sadler's coaching career started as an assistant with a string of schools before landing a head coaching job at
Arkansas–Fort Smith (then known as Westark Community College)
[ and then at ]University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...
, where he took over for former Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raider ...
head coach Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie ( ; born November 7, 1959), also known by his initials BCG and Billy Clyde, is an American college basketball and current men's basketball coach at Tarleton State. Gillispie had previously been head coach at UTEP, Texas A ...
after previously serving as his assistant coach. At UTEP, Sadler led his team to a 48–18 record[- ESPN]
/ref>[ and two postseason appearances in his 2 seasons at the helm.][Sadler signs six-year contract with Cornhuskers - Men's College Basketball - ESPN]
/ref> He departed UTEP for the head coaching job at the University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
on August 8, 2006 to take over for former coach Barry Collier, who left to become the athletic director at Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communi ...
.[
At Nebraska, Sadler inherited a team that had been relegated to the back of the pack in the ]Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
for several seasons, after former coach Danny Nee
Daniel Hugh Nee (born June 18, 1945) is an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Ohio University from 1980 to 1986, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1986 to 2000, Robert Morris University in 2000–0 ...
led the team to five NCAA tournament appearances, an NIT title and a Big Eight tournament title in the 1990s. Sadler failed to find much success in Lincoln, and aside from a victory over then-11th-ranked Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, the team again often fell to the bottom of the standings following Nebraska's move to the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...
in 2011. He was fired on March 9, 2012 after six seasons without ever making an NCAA tournament appearance. While under Sadler at Nebraska, over 80 percent of seniors who finished their eligibility earned their degrees.
On June 13, 2012, Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
basketball coach, Bill Self
Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2003. During his 19 seasons as head coach, he has led the Jayhawks to ...
announced the hiring of Sadler to replace Barry Hinson
Barry Douglas Hinson (born May 12, 1961) is an American college basketball coach and most recently was the head coach of the Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team (SIU). He was born in Marlow, Oklahoma. Before SIU he was the Director of M ...
as Director of Basketball Operations.[ Sadler left Kansas for ]Iowa State
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
on May 31, 2013 when Sadler was hired to serve as an assistant under Fred Hoiberg
Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played coll ...
. During the 2013-14 season in Ames, Sadler was part of a staff that won 28 games and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. On May 1, 2014, Sadler was named head coach at Southern Miss
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...
. In his five years at the helm, Southern Miss overcame NCAA sanctions related to the previous staff to lead his team to 20 wins and a postseason appearance in 2018-19.
On April 11, 2019, Sadler resigned his position as head coach at Southern Miss and returned to Nebraska as an assistant coach, once again under Hoiberg. On March 18, 2022, Hoiberg announced that Sadler was no longer with the Nebraska program as he had restructured his staff.
On November 17, 2022, it was announced that Sadler had joined the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma in men's NCAA Division I basketball. The Sooners play in the Big 12 Conference.
History
1908–1980
The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this e ...
program as a special advisor to head coach Porter Moser
Porter Andrew Moser (born August 24, 1968) is a college basketball coach who is the current head coach of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball team. Moser spent 10 years (2011–2021) at Loyola University Chicago, helping lead the Rambler ...
.
Head coaching record
References
External links
Nebraska profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadler, Doc
1960 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball coaches
Arkansas–Fort Smith Lions basketball coaches
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Arkansas
Chicago State Cougars men's basketball coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Houston Cougars men's basketball coaches
Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball coaches
Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States
Lamar Cardinals basketball coaches
Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball coaches
People from Greenwood, Arkansas
Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball coaches
Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball coaches
University of Arkansas alumni
UTEP Miners men's basketball coaches