Jerry D. Hemmings (born February 17, 1948) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and professional basketball player. He coached the

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

men's basketball team to four CIAU National Championships. Hemmings is a member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career

Playing career

Hemmings played at North Surry High School in his native

Mount Airy, North Carolina Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,676. As of 2020, the city is the most populous municipality in Surry County. Mount Airy is located within t ...

, graduating in 1966. He spent his college career at Surry Community College in

Dobson, North Carolina Dobson is a town in Dobson Township, Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,396. It is the county seat of Surry County. Dobson is the home of the Shelton Vineyards, the largest winery in No ...

and at

Lakehead University Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, gradua ...

Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

. In 1970, he was named Lakehead's Male Athlete of the Year. In his final season at Lakehead (1971–72), Hemmings earned WCIAA Great Plains First Team honors. In the 1972-73 season, he played professionally for Etoile de Voiron in France. He was inducted into the Lakehead Sports Wall of Fame as an athlete in 2001.

Coaching career

His career on the sidelines began in the 1973-74 season as assistant coach at Lakehead University. In 1974, he became head men's basketball coach at

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

and would remain in that position until 2003, compiling a record of 734 wins. During a sabbatical leave in 1983-84, he served as volunteer assistant coach at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

. Under his guidance the Brandon Bobcats won CIAU National Championships in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1996 and took silver medals in 1980, 2000 and 2001. He also coached the team to Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and one Canada West Championship in 2002. Hemmings was presented with the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as CIAU Coach of the Year in 1980, while earning Great Plains Coach of the Year distinction in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000 and 2001. In 2003-04, he served as head coach of Al Ittihad of the Syrian elite league, in 2004-05, Hemmings coached the Mattersburg 49ers in the Austrian top-flight. In 2009, he accepted the position as head coach of

AEK Larnaca AEK Larnaca FC (, "Athletic Union Kition (ancient state), Kition of Larnaca") is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional association football, football club based in Larnaca. The club was formed in 1994 after a merger of two historical Larnaca clubs, EP ...

in Cyprus. In 2007, Hemmings was inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame as a builder. In June 2014, Hemmings announced his retirement.

National team

Hemmings served as assistant coach of the Canadian Men's Basketball team from 1989 to 1994, including the World Championships in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

and

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. He guided Canada's squad to a silver medal at the 1991 World University Games.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemmings, Jerry Basketball coaches from North Carolina 1948 births People from Mount Airy, North Carolina Sportspeople from North Carolina Living people Lakehead Thunderwolves basketball players