Tag: cliff ellis

Former Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis announces retirement

Ellis led Auburn to 186 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances from 1994-2004.

An Auburn coaching legend is officially hanging up his jacket.

[autotag]Cliff Ellis[/autotag], who led Auburn to 186 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances from 1994-2004, announced Wednesday that he is officially retiring. He has spent the last 17 seasons as head coach of Coastal Carolina’s program, where he led the Chanticleers to 297 wins and four conference championships.

Ellis came to Auburn after winning a combined 350 games at South Alabama and Clemson. During his time at Auburn, he led the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a ranking as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.

The most notable season under Ellis was the 1998-99 season, where Auburn won the regular season SEC title after posting a 29-4 record. The Tigers would eventually lose to Ohio State in the Sweet 16.

During that season, Auburn had four players that averaged double-figures per game. The leader of the pack was [autotag]Chris Porter[/autotag], who scored 16 points while pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. Porter, as well as [autotag]Mamadou N’Diyae[/autotag], would go on to play in the NBA.

Ellis’ 46-year head coaching career concludes with a record of 833-566.

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Former Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis earns career win No. 900

Ellis becomes the third active head coach to reach the 900-win mark.

A former Auburn head coach has reached a milestone that places him amongst College Basketball’s elite leaders.

[autotag]Cliff Ellis[/autotag], who led Auburn Men’s Basketball from 1994-2004, won his 900th game as a head coach on Sunday.

Ellis, now at Coastal Carolina, led the Chanticleers to a convincing 102-39 victory over Regent University on Sunday, which gave him the benchmark win. He joins only Syracuse’s Jim Boheim and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins as coaches who have reached 900 career wins.

During his time at Auburn, Ellis led Auburn to two NCAA Tournaments, and the Tigers were ranked as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press poll in both the 1998-99 season, and the 1999-2000 season.

Prior to Auburn’s hiring of Bruce Pearl in 2014, the most memorable season of Auburn Basketball took place during the 1998-99 season, when Auburn finished with a 29-4 record and won the SEC Regular Season crown.

Four players ended the season with double-digit scoring averages. Two players, [autotag]Chris Porter[/autotag] and [autotag]Mamadou N’Diyae[/autotag] would go on to be drafted into the NBA. Current SEC Network commentator, [autotag]Daymeon Fishback[/autotag], averaged 4.5 points per game as a junior for the Tigers.

Ellis’ head coaching career started in 1975, and he has made stops at South Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, and now Coastal Carolina. Since taking over Coastal Carolina’s program in 2007, he has earned 288 wins, the most that he has recorded at any program that he has led.

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