Ole Miss basketball assistant Bill Armstrong to join LSU’s staff
Published 11:36 am Monday, May 8, 2017
Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Andy Kennedy is losing his longest-tenured assistant to a Southeastern Conference rival.
Bill Armstrong is leaving the Rebels’ program after 11 seasons to join new LSU coach Will Wade’s staff, multiple sources have confirmed. RebelGrove.com first reported the news.
Armstrong’s departure is the latest shakeup to Kennedy’s staff. Former Ole Miss All-American Rahim Lockhart was hired last month to replace former assistant Tony Madlock.
A source said Madlock will now return to the bench to fill out Kennedy’s staff.
Armstrong was at Ole Miss throughout Kennedy’s 11-year tenure, first as the director of basketball operations before serving as Kennedy’s top assistant the past six seasons. He helped coach eight postseason teams, including a pair of NCAA Tournament teams in 2013 and 2015, while his recruiting efforts helped the Rebels land a consensus top-25 signing class for next season, the highest-ranked class in school history.
Armstrong played at UAB from 1998-2001 when Kennedy was an assistant for the Blazers. He’s also coached at Birmingham-Southern and Chipola Junior College.
Ole Miss went 22-14 last season and made its sixth NIT appearance under Kennedy, whose contract was not extended after the season, leaving him with three years on his deal.