Southern University

Rennie Bailey brings over 25 years of collegiate basketball coaching experience to the bluff, the Minden, La. native, and former Louisiana Tech standout begins his first season as an assistant on Kevin Johnson’s coaching staff. 

Bailey got his first full-time job in D1 as a member of coach Gordon Stauffer's staff at Nicholls from 1988-1990.  In his first stint at Nicholls, Bailey helped with the signing and development of Colonel standout, and eventual NBA player Gerard King.

In 1990, he returned to the Bulldogs for the first of his two stints as an assistant coach at La Tech.  From 1990-1993, Bailey helped La Tech to a pair of conference championships, a 1991-92 NCAA Tournament appearance, and a 1990-91 NIT appearance.  In his first stop in Ruston, Bailey played a major role in the recruitment and development of Bulldog standout and eventual 15-year NBA veteran P.J. Brown.

From 1993 through 2000, Bailey took the helm of his own program, serving as head coach of Panola College in Carthage, Texas.  In what was regarded as one of the toughest junior college leagues at the time, Bailey rebuilt Panola, led the program to Texas Eastern Conference Tournaments in each of his final three seasons and sent seven players from Panola to four-year institutions.

From 2000-2004, Bailey worked the bench as part of Danny Kaspar's staff at Stephen F. Austin, where he helped rebuild the Lumberjacks into one of the more dominant programs in the Southland Conference.  The Lumberjacks went from a combined 22-32 record during his first two seasons to a combined 42-17 record in their third and fourth years. SFA finished second in the Southland Conference and participated in the conference tournament finals finishing second in 2002-03.  SFA claimed a fourth-place finish in 2003-04 and advanced to the conference tournament finals, earning a runner up finish.

After helping rebuild the Lumberjacks, Bailey returned to Louisiana as a member of the UL-Lafayette coaching staff from 2004-2007.  In 2004-05, Bailey helped the Ragin' Cajuns to a Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship, and a berth in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Bailey returned to La Tech for his second full-time stint from 2007-08 before serving as a volunteer coach at Cedar Creek High School in Ruston.

As a player, Bailey was a standout member of the Louisiana Tech basketball team, earning four letters.  In his senior season of 1983-84, Bailey and future NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone helped the Bulldogs to a Southland Conference Tournament championship, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament where La Tech won a first round game over Fresno State before falling to a Hakeem Olajuwon-led, and eventual national runner up, Houston squad in the second round.

Bailey received his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Tech in 1987, and capped his career by being drafted in the sixth round of the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He and his wife, Suzan, are the parents of two sons, Sterling, and Stafford.  His older son Sterling played basketball at Nicholls State.