Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
- Email:
- rigot@marshall.edu
- Phone:
- 2480
Scott Rigot (pronounced Ree-ZJOH) has been an assistant coach at South Carolina, UAB, Hawaii, Kentucky and Duquesne. He has accompanied teams to postseason play in 13 of his 16 seasons as a Division I assistant coach and also enjoyed a successful stint as a junior college head coach. Prior to his seasons at Duquesne, he served as an assistant under coach Tubby Smith at Kentucky from 2002-03 through 2006-07, helping the Wildcats earn five consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.
With Rigot's assistance in the 2017-18 season, Marshall reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 31 seasons and it secured the program's first ever NCAA Tournament win.
Rigot helped coach a program that won Conference USA for the first time ever, beat multiple ranked teams for the first time in Thundering Herd history, have three players earn all-conference honors and win 25 games.
This year’s Thundering Herd vanquished its postseason demons, captured its first Conference USA championship and received a Big Dance berth for the first time in 31 years. What followed elevated a season from unusual to unrivaled, as the Herd became the 28th No. 13 seed in the 34 years since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams (now 68) to defeat a No. 4 seed (Wichita State). That was Marshall’s first tournament win.
The Herd had never defeated multiple Top 25 teams in the same season, as it did in 2017-18, and records fell by the wayside. Rigot assisted with a MU team that broke multiple records, including the most points (3,017), most 3s (362) and most assists (615) by a Herd team in program history.
Other on the court honors included Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks and Ajdin Penava combining for six C-USA Player of the Week awards, three all-conference honors, one C-USA Tournament MVP, two all-tournament selections and one Defensive Player of the Year award. It was the second time three Marshall men’s basketball players have been named to all-conference team in the same year since Keith Veney, John Brannen and Sidney Coles accomplished that in 1997.
Off the court, Elmore was named to the All-Academic team to become the second player ever in program history to be selected for the team three different times. The team as a whole also thrived in the classroom, as it had a cumulative 3.22 GPA.
During the 2016-17 season, Marshall reached 20 wins and the Conference USA Conference Tournament final since 2012. Thanks to the team's "hillbilly style" of basketball, the Herd broke several records, including points (2,997) and 3-point field goals made (356), while having the No. 7 scoring offense in the nation.
While at Kentucky, Rigot helped secure a 2004 recruiting class that was ranked No. 1 in the nation by rivals.com. Two members of that class -- Rajon Rondo and Ramel Bradley -- went on to earn All-SEC honors.
Rigot was head coach at Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist for six seasons (1990-91 through 1995-96) leading that junior college to a 158-35 record for a winning percentage of .891, the highest in any sport in the school's history. He also led the Pioneers to the 1994-95 NJCAA national championship game. That team was ranked No. 1 for 12 weeks during the season and also a part of three straight teams that Rigot led to lead the NJCAA in scoring defense (1994-96). He was a four-time Carolinas Junior college Conference of the Year, three-time district Coach of the Year and three-time Regional Coach of the Year and was runner-up coach of the year by the AP. He also coached 26 players who earned Division I scholarships. Rigot is a member of the school's hall of fame.
Rigot, who has made at least one NCAA Tournament appearance at four of his five Division I coaching stops -- Kentucky, Hawaii, UAB and South Carolina -- has established a reputation as a highly successful recruiter, especially in international circles.
Rigot began his playing career at Jamestown (N.Y.) Community College, where he was part of a Jayhawks team that was ranked No. 1 nationally and participated in the 1982 NJCAA Tournament.
After being sidelined for a year with a knee injury, Rigot transferred to the University at Buffalo where he lettered in 1983-84 and '84-85. He completed his degree in sociology in 1986 and added a master's in education from South Carolina in 1988.
