Baylor officially names Bill Armstrong, Steve Henson assistant coaches

On Friday, Baylor finalized its men’s basketball coaching staff for the 2024-25 season. While many familiar names received promotions, the program also added two fresh faces: Bill Armstrong and Steve Henson.

Both will serve as assistant coaches under head coach Scott Drew. Most recently, Armstrong was the head coach at Link Academy. The team won the 2023 Men’s GEICO National Championship and was led by 2024 five-star prospect Tre Johnson.

Before taking over at Link Academy, Armstrong served under Will Wade as LSU’s associate head coach. Armstrong was fired with Wade in 2022 only days after the school received NCAA notice of allegations involving violations that had occurred since 2017. An FBI wire-tapping scandal involved Wade and eventually led to his termination along with Armstrong’s.

Prior to his seven seasons on LSU’s coaching staff, Armstrong spent six years as an assistant at Ole Miss. He also spent five years as Ole Miss’ coordinator of basketball operations. In Armstrong’s total 11 years with the Rebels, they recorded nine 20-plus win seasons.

Armstrong is known across the country for his recruiting ability. He was key in LSU securing the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation ahead of the 2018-19 season, highlighted by standouts such as Javonte Smart and Marlon Taylor.

Armstrong was also pivotal in LSU’s recruiting of current Brooklyn Nets starter Cam Thomas. Of course, Armstrong isn’t the only one bringing a wealth of experience to the table. Henson was the head coach at UTSA from 2016-24.

During that time, he guided the Road Runners to a 110-144 record and a 54-72 mark in conference play. Henson’s best season at the helm of the program came in 2017-18 when UTSA posted a winning record for the first time since the turn of the decade. For his efforts, he was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year.

UTSA fired Henson after the 2023-24 season after the team recorded an 11-21 overall record during their first season in the American Athletic Conference. It was UTSA’s third straight season with 20 or more losses.

Now, both Henson and Armstrong will look for fresh starts with Baylor. They have no shortage of talent to work with. After suffering a season-ending loss to Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season, the Bears return loads of talent.

The program will return Jalen Bridges, Langston Love and Jayden Nunn next season while adding the No. 4 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, headlined by five-star prospect VJ Edgecombe. With a revamped roster and staff, Baylor will be dangerous next season.