LaVall Jordan was hired prior to the 2017-18 season as the 24th head coach in Butler men’s basketball program history. Jordan returned to his alma mater as the head coach after helping Butler to conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances as both a player and an assistant coach.
His tenure at the helm of the Butler program has included a pair of 20-win seasons, a 2018 NCAA Tournament berth and a 2019 NIT berth. The Bulldogs were also included in every 2020 NCAA Tournament projection before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.
The 2019-20 Bulldogs finished the season 22-9 and ranked in the Top 25 of both national polls as the NCAA season was cut short prior to the BIG EAST Tournament being played. Butler climbed to No. 5 in both national polls earlier in the season, the highest in-season ranking in program history. Jordan's Bulldogs hung their hat on defense, holding opponents to only 62.1 points per game, the 11th-best mark nationally. Kamar Baldwin earned All-BIG EAST honors and was a finalist for the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, finishing his career fourth on Butler's all-time scoring list with just under 2,000 career points. For his leadership, Jordan was among 15 coaches on the late season watch list for the 2020 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year Award.
In his first season, the 2017-18 Bulldogs posted a 21-14 record and won their NCAA Tournament opening round match-up with Arkansas before falling in the Round of 32. Butler averaged 81 points per game. The Bulldogs' campaign included a 101-93 win over No. 1 (and eventual national champion) Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 30, 2017. Jordan joined Brad Stevens, Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann as first-year head coaches to lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament.
Under Jordan's mentorship, Kelan Martin registered one of the most incredible seasons in Butler history. Martin went over 2,000 career points with 743 points during his senior season (2017-18), the second-most in a Butler single season. Martin was a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team and was a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, presented annually to the nation's top small forward. Martin's average of 23.6 points per game in BIG EAST play led the conference.
Jordan's first five seasons leading the program overlapped with Aaron Thompson's five seasons as the team's point guard, which included a Butler career record 566 assists.
In his second season, Jordan led the Bulldogs to the 2019 NIT. Jordan and his staff secured the highest-rated recruiting class in program history, featuring five standouts who arrived on campus in the summer of 2020.
As a Student-Athlete and Assistant Coach at Butler
Jordan’s coaching career began on the Butler sidelines (2003-07), working as an assistant coach for three seasons (2004-07) and as the coordinator of basketball operations for one season (2003-04).
Jordan helped guide the Bulldogs to a 29-7 record in 2006-07, sharing the Horizon League regular season title in 2007. Butler advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament before a loss to eventual national champion, Florida.
Before embarking on his coaching career, Jordan was a starting guard at Butler (1998-2001), helping the Bulldogs win three conference tournament titles and two Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular-season championships. He participated in four consecutive postseason tournaments -- NCAA (1998, 2000, 2001) and NIT (1999) -- and helped record Butler's first NCAA tournament win in 39 years with a 79-63 win over Wake Forest in 2001.
Jordan was a two-time All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference performer and was the league's tournament MVP in 2001. He tallied 91 victories in four years, which (at the time) made him the winningest player in Butler history.
As the Head Coach at Milwaukee
Jordan returned to the Butler campus after serving one season as the head coach at Milwaukee. In his first head coaching position, Jordan led the Panthers to the Horizon League Tournament championship game. Milwaukee entered the postseason as the tournament’s No. 10 seed before making a miraculous run through the bracket. Jordan, who inherited only four returning scholarship players when he took over the Panthers’ program in April of 2016, finished 11-24 on the season.
As an Assistant Coach at Michigan and Iowa
Jordan spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Michigan basketball program under head coach John Beilein. He helped the Michigan program to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2013 Final Four and national title game -- the first for the program in 20 years, followed by a return trip to the Elite Eight in 2014.
With Jordan, U-M averaged 24 wins per season, including a U-M record-tying 31 during the 2012-13 season. Michigan claimed a share of the 2012 Big Ten regular-season title with a 13-5 record -- the first for the program since 1986. The Wolverines won their first outright Big Ten title in 28 years in 2014 with a 15-3 record, winning the league by three games. Specializing in guard development, Jordan coached eight Wolverine guards to All-Big Ten honors. In addition, during his stint with U-M, six Wolverines reached the NBA.
Before joining the Wolverine program, Jordan spent three years at Iowa (2007-10) under Todd Lickliter. Jordan also coached under Lickliter at Butler after playing for Barry Collier and Thad Matta.
Personal
Jordan earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Butler in 2001 and went on to play professional basketball in Europe. He was the first Butler player to participate in the National Basketball Developmental League, playing for the Huntsville Flight.
Jordan and his wife, Destinee, have three daughters, Ava, Alanna and Adalynn.
Jordan's Coaching Profile
| Seasons |
|
Record |
| 2021-22 |
Butler (Head Coach) |
14-19 (6-14 BIG EAST) |
| 2020-21 |
Butler (Head Coach) |
10-15 (8-12) |
| 2019-20 |
Butler (Head Coach) |
22-9 (10-8) |
| 2018-19 |
Butler (Head Coach) |
16-17 (7-11) |
| 2017-18 |
Butler (Head Coach) |
21-14 (9-9) |
|
At Butler (Five Seasons) |
83-74 (40-54 BIG EAST) |
| 2016-17 |
Milwaukee (Head Coach) |
11-24 |
|
As a Head Coach (Six Seasons) |
94-98 |
| 2010-16 |
Michigan (Assistant Coach) |
143-70 |
| 2007-10 |
Iowa (Assistant Coach) |
38-58 |
| 2004-07 |
Butler (Assistant Coach) |
62-35 |
| 2003-04 |
Butler (Director of Basketball Operations) |
16-14 |
