Men's Basketball
Head Coach Happy Osborne
Georgetown
College Head Coach Happy Osborne is in his 28th season on the
campus and twelfth as head coach of the storied Tiger Program.
Last season, Osborne's Tigers went undefeated in Mid-South
Conference play and in the Mid-South Conference Tournament - a
first in conference history. In addition, he was named the
MSC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
Osborne has accumulated a large pile of titles and awards
through his years, including 16 straight national tournament
appearances and more overall appearances and wins in the
tournament than any other team. His teams have won eight of the
last eleven Mid-South Conference titles and he has had at least
25 wins in the last 24 seasons, with the exception of the
1990-91 season. Add to that a 1998 National Championship, being
the fastest coach at any level to win 100 career games and
earning his 300-win as head coach in 2006 and it is easy to see
why he is able to recruit some of the best talent in the NAIA.
But
the thing he is more proud of than any accolade on the lengthy
list is to be the third head coach in the last 59 years at
Georgetown College behind Bob Davis and the late Jim Reid. “I
think it’s pretty neat that there has been such longevity here.
Most coaches start at a NAIA school and then leave to move up
the ranks. I think people stay here because of the atmosphere in
the community and the college,” said Osborne, who eats lunch
with Davis every Tuesday. “I feel so fortunate to have been
around an unbelievable group of young men during my time here
and I love seeing their successes when they leave and watching
them become husbands and fathers.”
Osborne, a native of Lynch, KY, and his wife, Bobbi, live in Georgetown. Bobbi is a teacher at Southern Elementary and is also an alumnae of Georgetown College. Their daughter, Madison, is a sophomore at Georgetown College.
Assistant Coach Chris Briggs
Chris
Briggs is not one to shy away from changes in his life. In less than
two weeks, he tied the knot with his fiancee, honeymooned in Mexico and
jumped in a car with Head Coach Happy Osborne for a five-day recruiting trip
to New York, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
And by the time the car returned to Georgetown, both men knew he was the right person for the job.
"It was the most fun interview you could imagine," describes Briggs. ""It was crazy to think that I woke up one morning, found out about the job opportunity, made a couple of phone calls and within three hours I was in the car with Coach Osborne on my way to New York City. We hit it off instantly and there was never a loss for conversation. We talked about basketball, we talked about life and we talked about everything else in between."
The Paducah native replaces assistant coach Jason Mays, who left the school to pursue a career in financial advising and served as Osborne's right arm for a total of 13 years.
Briggs played basketball for one year at King College after graduating from Reidland High School. He then went on to the University of Kentucky where he served as a student manager for the University of Kentucky's infamous Bill Keightley for three years and then as a two-year graduate assistant coach for Tubby Smith. He spent the last year as an assistant coach for the United States Basketball Academy in Eugene, Oregon.
The 25 year-old is already making an impact on Coach Osborne and the Georgetown College program. " I am extremely impressed with his work ethic - he has learned from great coaches in Tubby Smith, David Hobbs and Cameron Hill, and I am counting on him to be excellent in individual improvement, scouting and to do a great job recruiting."
Briggs is equally impressed with his new boss. "Coach Osborne has
such a passion for the game and his players and a tremendous work ethic.
I am thrilled to have an opportunity to learn from one of the great coaches
in the game."
Chris' new wife, Elizabeth, is also no stranger to collegiate athletics.
She currently serves as the K-Fund Relations Coordinator for UK. The
couple resides in Lexington and enjoys traveling and visiting family and
friends as their schedules allow.
"As much as I like Chris' skills as a coach, I like him better as a
person and I know he will give this program his heart. He knows what
it means to try to keep a program at the top," said Osborne.
Assistant Coach Kentreal (K.C.) Goodin
When
Assistant Coach Scott Schoen was considering leaving Georgetown
for a sales position, Head Coach Happy Osborne made one phone
call to Louisville.
K.C. Goodin was on the other end of the call.
And Goodin, no stranger to Georgetown College, jumped at the chance to return to the program that he helped win its first national championship in 1998. “I was both surprised and ecstatic about the whole opportunity to come back here,” explains Goodin. “I was always hoping that someday the opportunity would arise.”
To say Osborne was happy to add Goodin to his staff would be an understatement. “I’m tickled to have him,” he said. “He was nothing but a winner when he played for us and shows that same mental toughness as a coach. He is a real motivator and will push our guys to be better.”
A 1995 graduate of Larue County High, Goodin began his college career at Carson Newman and started there for two years before deciding to return to his home state to be closer to his family. His basketball career took off as soon as he stepped on campus, as he helped lead the Tigers to the NAIA National Championship in his first year and then followed it up with a Sweet 16 appearance in 1999. He then went on to finish his degree in physical education at Kentucky State University and spent several seasons as an assistant coach and teacher at Louisville Western before serving as head coach there last year.
“When Coach (Osborne) was recruiting me in high school he told me to remember that I would always have a home at Georgetown College and it has turned out to be absolutely true,” Goodin said. “I will remember that when I am recruiting young men to wear the orange and black.”
Goodin has two children, Aaron, age nine, and three-year-old Kenyon. His wife, Anne, is a special education teacher at Anne Mason Elementary School in Georgetown.
“I just can’t thank Coach Osborne enough for this opportunity. He has made a huge difference in my life both in the man I am and the coach I am.”
