Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men’s Basketball Adds Scott Padgett to 2026-27 Staff
6/22/2026 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Former UK standout comes to Herd from Miss. St.; Robby Williams also joins staff
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Men's Basketball coach Cornelius Jackson has added Scott Padgett to the Herd Men's Basketball staff as an assistant coach for the 2026-27 season.
Padgett comes to Marshall after serving in the same capacity at Mississippi State for the last four seasons.
"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Padgett and family to our Marshall Basketball family," Jackson said. " His experience, leadership and passion for developing student-athletes will be a tremendous asset to our program as we continue building for the future."
During his time at Mississippi State, Padgett helped transform the Bulldogs' offense into a stronger attack, including the team's scoring output 17 percent and taking the offensive efficiency from 176th in the country to a high of 24th in his tenure.
Padgett brings head coaching experience to the Marshall sidelines, spending six seasons as the leader of the Samford program from 2014-20 after two years as an assistant there.
He also has served two stints as assistant coach at Manhattan (2021-22, 2010-12) while also serving as an assistant at New Mexico (2020-21) and his alma mater Kentucky (2009).
Padgett also brings a championship pedigree and NBA presence to the Thundering Herd sidelines.
The Louisville, Kentucky, native was a major part of Kentucky's 1998 NCAA Championship team and scored 17 points in the Wildcats' win over Utah in the NCAA Championship Game, which earned him Chevy Player of the Game honors.
In 1999, Padgett also was named as a John Wooden All-American and Associated Press All-American while being named as a First Team All-SEC selection and MVP of the SEC Tournament.
Following his time at Kentucky, Padgett was selected 28th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz and went on to play seven NBA seasons before getting into sports media and later coaching.
In addition to adding Padgett to the sidelines, Jackson announced that Robby Williams – a former Marshall player – would join the team as a graduate assistant this season.
"We're excited to welcome Robby Williams back to our program," Jackson said. "Robby brings a passion for the game, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to helping our student-athletes succeed both on and off the court."
Williams, who played with the Herd in the 2019-20 season, comes to the Herd after serving as an assistant coach for Link Academy, a premier national prep program out of Missouri.
The Charleston, W.Va., native helped lead talent development for the postgraduate teams at Link.
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