Sam Casey is in his first year as Assistant Coach for the Javelina Men’s Basketball team after being hired in 2026.
Before taking the role of Assistant Coach in Kingsville, Casey served as the Acting Head Coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, an NCAA Division II program in the Great American Conference. Casey assumed full leadership of the program midseason and helped guide the Rangers to a 6-8 finish over the final 14 games of the 2025-26 season, tripling the program’s conference win production from the first half of the season. During that stretch, Northwestern improved offensive efficiency and reduced opponent scoring defensively, producing an estimated 16-point net efficiency gain. The Rangers alap earned a signature win over No. 3 nationally ranked Southern Nazarene. Casey also directed all areas of program leadership, including practice planning, game strategy, player development, opponent preparation, recruiting coordination, team operations, and rebuilding the program’s rotation, identity, and competitive standards. The Rangers developed multiple All-Conference players and award honorees during Casey’s time with the program.
Prior to Northwestern Oklahoma State, Casey served as an Assistant Coach and Video Coordinator at NCAA Division I University of the Incarnate Word. While with the Cardinals, UIW improved from eight wins to 19 wins, reached the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time in the program’s Division I era, and advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. The Cardinals also produced one All-Conference selection, developed one of the nation’s top two three-point shooters in Davion Bailey, ranked fifth nationally in BLOB efficiency, posted a 3.27 team GPA during the fall semester, and produced the best start and best non-conference record in the program’s Division I era during Casey’s time with the program.
Before joining the Division I ranks, Casey served as Assistant Head Coach, Recruiting, Video, and Team Operations Coordinator at Union Commonwealth University. During his time with the Bulldogs, Union captured back-to-back Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season championships, won the 2024 AAC Tournament championship, posted a perfect 24-0 conference record during the 2022-23 season, climbed as high as No. 3 in the NAIA national rankings, and won 53 games over a two-year span. Union’s 24-0 conference season also represented a historic rarity, making the Bulldogs one of only two verified NCAA or NAIA men’s basketball teams since 2000 to complete a regular season conference schedule of 24 or more games without a loss.
Union also produced significant individual success during Casey’s time with the program. In 2023-24, the Bulldogs produced a Conference Defensive Player of the Year, three First Team All-Conference selections, two Second Team All-Conference selections, three All-Defensive Team selections, three All-Academic Team selections, one Champions of Character Team selection, and three Conference Player of the Week selections. In 2022-23, Union produced the AAC Player of the Year, three First Team All-Conference selections, one Second Team All-Conference selection, one All-Defensive Team selection, three All-Academic Team selections, one Champions of Character Team selection, and five Conference Player of the Week selections.
Casey also brings extensive head coaching experience to Kingsville. He has served as a head coach at NCAA Division III Finlandia University, San Antonio College, DLS Jerusalem (Israel), the Connecticut Cobras of The Basketball League, and the KPA Pro Summer League. At Finlandia, Casey’s program broke four school records in three-point shooting and assists, ranked 17th in NCAA Division III in made three-pointers, improved more than 100 spots in the Massey Ratings in both offensive and defensive rankings, recruited 25 players from 11 states and multiple countries, and produced five Conference Player of the Week awards and one All-Conference selection.
At San Antonio College, Casey served as Head Coach of the men’s basketball program and provided leadership over all areas of the program, including budgeting, scheduling, travel, equipment, recruiting, academic support, community service, branding, marketing, and social media. He also developed the program’s mission, vision, goals, standards, recruiting plan, and prospect database while implementing the program’s first athletics-academic support programs and community service initiatives.
Casey’s professional basketball experience includes serving as Head Coach and General Manager of the Connecticut Cobras of The Basketball League, where he oversaw the creation, development, and implementation of basketball operations for a first-year professional franchise. With the Cobras, Casey created a remote advance, pro personnel scouting, and analytics department, recruited and hired scouts and analysts from eight states and four countries, evaluated more than 150 players from the TBL League Combine, developed draft strategy, managed trade scenarios for the first overall pick, created pro personnel evaluation metrics, and selected Scotty Tyler with the first overall pick in the TBL Draft.
Casey also served as Assistant Head Coach and Director of Basketball Video Operations and Creative Content for the Lehigh Valley Legends of The Basketball League. In that role, he worked in practice planning, advance scouting, pro personnel scouting, video analysis, basketball analytics, player development, and game strategy. Casey served as head coach for two games, going 2-0, and oversaw the professional debut of Marques Wilson, who broke the league rookie scoring record with 61 points and was named TBL Player of the Week.
Casey’s international and professional exposure experience includes work with EuroBasket Summer League, DLS Jerusalem, KPA Pro Summer League, Cabo Verde Basketball League Pro Combine, and Overseas Basketball Connection. He has served as a coach with EuroBasket Summer League, one of the top international professional summer exposure platforms in the world. He also served as Head Coach in the KPA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas, Nev., one of the longest-running pro summer leagues in the United States, helping lead his team to an undefeated league championship in 2019 after serving as an assistant on a semifinal team in 2018.
As a recruiter and roster builder, Casey has built and managed large-scale prospect evaluation systems, including a 300-plus player database, while identifying and recruiting impact-ready players across the junior college, NCAA, NAIA, and professional levels. His evaluation background includes extensive work across Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, NJCAA, JUCO, KJCCC, and regional recruiting circuits, with an emphasis on character-first evaluation, roster fit, competitive toughness, and sustainable program building.
Across his career, Casey has coached at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, junior college, professional, and international levels. His experience includes recruiting, scouting, video breakdown, analytics, player development, offensive and defensive game planning, opponent preparation, roster construction, academic monitoring, team operations, camp operations, professional personnel evaluation, and program building.
Casey has also worked numerous camps, clinics, combines, and player development events throughout the United States and internationally. His experience includes the Jr. NBA Clinic in Israel, International All-American Basketball Camp in Switzerland, All-Star Basketball Camp in Switzerland, International Hoop Camp in Germany, San Antonio Spurs Camps, The Hoop Group, Denton Youth Basketball, Denton Chiefs Select Basketball, Standard of Athletics, Catholic Youth Association, and Camp Cobbossee Varsity Boys Camp in Maine. He has also completed professional development through the PGC Glazier Coaches Clinic, University of Texas Coaches Clinic, University of Texas at San Antonio Coaches Clinic, NABC Convention, Texas Christian University Coaches Clinic, and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Clinic.
In addition to coaching, Casey has experience in basketball officiating and referee development. He was a finalist for the NBA Referee Development Program, has officiated at the high school and college levels, and has been a member of the Texas High School Basketball Officials Association.
Casey has completed additional basketball education and professional development in scouting, analytics, compliance, NIL, and player evaluation. His background includes Pro Scout School and NBA General Manager Experience through TPG Sports Group, Basketball Analytics 101 through New York University, a Certificate in Collegiate Athletics Compliance from the United States Sports Academy, NIL Certification: Athlete Marketing Essentials through Front Office Sports, a Certificate in Activism in Sports and Culture from Morehouse College, and a Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida.
Casey received his Master’s Degree in Recreation and Sports Management from the University of North Texas in 2013. He also graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a minor in Sports Management in 2011.
