Jim Whitesell served two seasons as an assistant coach at SLU from 2011-13. The Billikens made the NCAA Tournament both seasons, and in 2013 captured the A-10 regular-season and tournament titles.
Whitesell was promoted to associate head coach by Rick Majerus after one year as an assistant, only the second Majerus assistant to earn the associate title. Immediately following his hire in 2011, Whitesell was charged with on-court preparation and coaching for the Billikens preseason Canada exhibition trip. Majerus made the trip, but was unable to coach due to health reasons. The trip set the stage for what would be a banner year for the Billikens.
Whitesell came SLU after spending the previous seven seasons as head coach at Loyola Chicago. Prior to his time at Loyola Chicago, Whitesell was head coach at Lewis (Ill.) University (1992-2004) and Elmhurst (Ill.) College (1987-92). He holds a career record of 387-301 in 24 seasons. Whitesell also served in assistant-coaching roles at North Dakota (1982-83 - graduate assistant), Ellsworth CC (Iowa) (1983-84), Wabash Valley CC (Iowa) (1984-85) and Minnesota State (1985-87).
Whitesell guided the Loyola Ramblers to 109 victories in seven seasons, including a 21-win campaign in 2006-07, which was the program's first and only 20-win season since 1985. In addition, he coached two of Loyola's top-10 scorers in Blake Schilb and J.R. Blount. Two of Whitesell's players earned the Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year Award in consecutive seasons, and he recently coached players who rank in Loyola's career top 10 in several statistical categories.
At Lewis University, an NCAA Division II school in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville, Whitesell guided the Flyers to a 214-126 record in 12 seasons. He took the Flyers to the NCAA Tournament five times and had eight squads post 18 or more wins. In his final three seasons at Lewis, Whitesell's Flyers went a combined 72-22 and reached the NCAA Tournament all three seasons.
Whitesell's 2003-04 outfit finished 24-7 and captured the program's first Great Lakes Valley Conference championship in 16 years. He was named the GLVC's Coach of the Year, National Association of Basketball Coaches Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year. His 2003-04 squad was ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation, and the 2001-02 Flyers equaled the school record with 25 victories and advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen.
Off the court, Whitesell has a reputation of developing complete student-athletes. He has graduated 95 percent of his players in 24 years as a collegiate head coach, including 100 percent of his players at Loyola Chicago. Additionally, Loyola was one of only 14 schools in the nation to have been saluted by the NCAA with a Public Recognition Award for its Academic Progress Rate score from 2008-11.
Whitesell also has used innovative means to generate student support at games, as he implemented several on-campus and community initiatives at Loyola to bring support and awareness to the basketball program. Loyola's student section was named the Horizon League's Top Student Section in 2009-10.
Whitesell began his head-coaching career at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Ill., where he spent five seasons. Prior to Whitesell's arrival, the Bluejays had not posted a winning campaign in 17 seasons. Whitesell turned the program around, culminating in 1991-92 with a 19-9 record and the program's first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth.
A native of Iowa Falls, Iowa, Whitesell is a 1982 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He earned a master's degree in education from the University of North Dakota. Whitesell's wife, Connie, is a partner with the human resources consulting firm PW Associates in Chicago.
