HAMPTON, Va. (WTKR) — For the first time since 2009, Hampton is looking for a new men's basketball head coach.
The University announced on Monday morning that it will not renew the contract of longtime coach Buck Joyner, ending his 15-year tenure.
"Coach Joyner is a good basketball coach and a tremendous person," said Hampton director of athletics Anthony Henderson. "Over the past 15 years, he has poured his heart and soul into the Hampton basketball program. Ultimately, we have not maintained the consistent level of success on the court that we expect. After a full review, we have decided to make a change in the basketball program's leadership."
Joyner first arrived at the school in 2006, where he spent three seasons as an assistant before being promoted to head coach. In 15 seasons he helped guide the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2011, 2015, 2016), three MEAC Tournament championships, two MEAC regular season titles, and a birth in the NIT (2018).
Since leaving the MEAC after the 2017-2018 campaign, however, Hampton has struggled. The Pirates went 18-17 in 2018-2019, making it to the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament but have not put together another winning season since.
Over the last five seasons, Joyner's program has gone just 52-100 and failed to reach ten wins in each of the last three years. The Pirates finished 9-24 in 2023-2024, doomed by a 13-game losing streak.
As he exits, Joyner is responsible for half of Hampton's DI NCAA Tournament appearances and helped the program get its second win in the Big Dance when Hampton beat Manhattan 74-64 in the 2015 First Four.
Joyner is Hampton's winningest coach at the Division I level with a record of 223-257. The Pirates will begin a national search for the program's next head coach immediately.
