One of the best point guards in Bradley Basketball history, Willie Scott returned to The Hilltop as an assistant coach in 2010 and is preparing for his second year on the Braves coaching staff.
A Chicago native and graduate of Martin Luther King High School, Scott was the starting point guard during his two-year Bradley career, leading the Braves the 1982 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and NIT championships. He went on to play professionally for 14 seasons on three continents, an experience that helped launch his second career in the fashion industry, before returning to the hardwood as a coach four years ago.
While playing professionally in Argentina, Scott took advantage of his free time to learn about the fashion industry. Upon his retirement as a player, he launched his own fashion design company, Willie Scott Custom Clothier, and became an instant success in the designer suit industry. After custom fitting Tim Hardaway and Isaiah Thomas as his initial clients, Scott became a popular designer for a long list of NBA stars, including Dwayne Wade, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Shawn Marion, Michael Finley and Antoine Walker, while adding iconic figures Michael Jackson, Prince and Minister Louis Farrakhan to his client list.
While working with Jackson, however, Scott felt a calling to save the lives of young people and found a natural fit in coaching while helping his mother through a time of illness in Mississippi. Scott introduced himself to Jackson State head coach Tevester Anderson and after that initial two-hour meeting, landed his first coaching position as an advisory assistant for the Tigers during the 2007-08 season. During his one season at Jackson State, Scott developed specialized training programs for individual workouts and prepared scouting reports, helping the Tigers reach the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.
Anderson recognized Scott's coaching talent and recommended he begin searching for a head coaching position. Following a four-month stint training Portland Trailblazers player Travis Outlaw, Scott earned that head-coaching position at Malcolm X College in Chicago in 2008, inheriting a program that had not produced a winning record in more than a decade. Working without any assistant coaches, Scott led the NJCAA Division I program to a 15-15 record in his first season in 2008-09, followed by a 19-11 mark in 2009-10 that included a pair of wins against nationally-ranked opponents Kirkwood and Mineral Area.
Scott's players at Malcolm X College excelled off the court as well: four team members earned a spot on the school's Dean's List during the 2009 Fall semester and his program achieved an 80 percent Academic Progress Rate (APR) at the most recent reporting period.
Scott played in 65 games during his two-year Bradley career (1981-83), averaging 8.2 points and 6.3 assists per game while earning the nickname "The Roadrunner" from Bradley radio play-by-play talent Dave Snell. Scott still owns the single-season school record with 83 steals as a senior, as well as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament single-game record with 20 assists March 2, 1982 versus Indiana State, and he graduated owning Bradley's single-season (222) and career (412) assists records.
He earned his bachelor's degree from Bradley in 1983 and was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Jan. 25, 1997.
The Willie Scott File
Personal
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
High School: Martin Luther King High School
Wife: Trey
Children: Jasmine (26), Tiffany (23), Cameron (7) and Peyton (2)
Education
Bradley University '83
Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts and sciences
Coaching Experience
Malcolm X College, 2008-10
Head Coach
- Inherited a program that had not produced a winning record in more than a decade
2008-09: 15-15
2009-10: 19-11, including two wins versus nationally-ranked opponents
- Four players on the Dean's List for the 2009 Fall semester
- Produced 80% APR at 2009-10 midseason
Jackson State University, 2007-08
Advisory Assistant Coach
- Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up
Once A Brave...
Bradley University Point Guard, 1981-83
- Second-Team All-MVC, 1983
- Still owns school record for steals in a season (83) and MVC Tournament record for assists in a game (20)
- Graduated with school records for single-season assists (222) and career (412)
- Averaged 8.2 ppg and 6.3 apg in 65 games as a Brave
Always A Brave
- Inducted into the Bradley University Athletics Hall of Fame Jan. 25, 1997
Professional Playing Career
- Played 14 professional seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (1983-85), Europe (1985-91), South America (1993-95) and the World Basketball League (1995-97)
- Helped his teams to league titles in Europe and Argentina
Entrepreneur
Willie Scott Custom Clothier, 1998-Present
- Founder of a fashion design business with a client list that included Michael Jackson, Prince, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Michael Finley, Antoine Walker, Tim Hardaway, Isaiah Thomas, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Steve Harvey