The 2018-19 season marks Jack Wooten’s 10th season overall at Elon and his ninth year as an assistant coach, as the Phoenix enters its fifth year in the Colonial Athletic Association. A native of Burlington, N.C., Wooten served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Elon during the 2009-10 season after graduating from the University of North Carolina in 2009.
Wooten has been recognized as one of the best assistant coaches in the country as he was named to the 2016 NABC Under Armour 30-under-30 Team, as announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, recognizing the top 30 young and up-and-coming coaches in the nation.
During the 2017-18 season, the Phoenix posted a 14-win campaign in the 12th-best conference in the country. Junior forward Tyler Seibring earned All-CAA Second Team honors for the second straight season, as well as spot on the NABC All-District 10 Second Team. Seibring was also rewarded with his work in the classroom with a second-straight Academic All-America selection, as well as the CAA's Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, which is presented annually to the men's basketball student-athlete who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic athletic achievement." Additionally, Brian Dawkins was named to the 2018 NABC Give Back Team for his outstanding community service efforts throughout his career as a Phoenix. The program had three players reach 1,000 career points, as Seibring, Dmitri Thompson and Dainan Swoope all achieved the mark in 2017-18. Elon finished the season with eight or more wins in non-conference play for the fourth consecutive season, which included the program’s first win over an American Athletic Conference opponent in South Florida, a victory over defending 2017 CIT Champion Saint Peter’s, and a win over 2018 Big South Champion Radford. Elon was also ranked as high as 22nd in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll and was ranked in the poll for three weeks. The Phoenix showed a lot of balance offensively as four of its five starters averaged double-figures in the scoring column. Defensively, the maroon and gold ranked first in the league allowing CAA opponents to only shoot 44.8 percent from the field. Additionally, senior Dmitri Thompson reached the final four of the Dark Horse Dunker fan vote contest, missing out on the 2018 State Farm College Slam Dunk Championships by two rounds.
During the 2016-17 campaign, the Phoenix finished fourth in the CAA, which was ranked the 11th-best conference in the nation. Elon got off to hot start and began the season with a 6-1 mark, the best start in 29 years for the program. The Phoenix cracked the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll on Nov. 23, 2016, holding a spot at No. 23 for two straight weeks. Elon finished first in the conference only allowing CAA teams to shoot only 41.7% shooting from the floor. For the season, opponents shot 31.9% from three-point range, which ranked second in the league. Sophomore standout Tyler Seibring became the second player under head coach Matt Matheny to earn Academic All-America honors. Seibring was also named to the All-CAA Second Team and was selected as the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. For the third straight season, the Phoenix shined in the classroom and had a league-high four student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. Elon also picked up big wins during the season, earned a road win against South Florida and won the NIU Thanksgiving Classic, defeating Northern Illinois, UIC and Cal Poly to win the championship.
In its second season in the CAA, which was ranked the ninth-best league in the nation during the 2015-16 campaign, Wooten helped an Elon squad of 18 players with 10 underclassmen to 16 wins and an increase in total league victories. For the second time during Elon’s Division I era, the team finished with a winning road record of 8-7 overall. Only the 2013-14 team finished with a wiining record on the road with a 7-6 mark. Under the coaching staff's guidance, freshman forward Tyler Seibring earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team, the 11th player in the program’s Division I era and fifth under the head coach to earn the honor. For the second consecutive season, the Phoenix shined in the classroom and had a league-high three student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. The senior class of Tanner Samson, Tony Sabato, Sam Hershberger and Wes Brewer ended their career with 70 wins - the most by a senior class during the school’s Division I era.
In its inaugural season in the CAA in 2014-15, Wooten helped Elon to a 15-win campaign following a season in which the team graduated four seniors with 1,000+ career points. Wooten helped the Phoenix to the quarterfinals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship after the maroon and gold topped Towson in the first round in overtime. Elon also shined in the classroom, putting a league-high three student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. The senior class of Austin Hamilton, Kevin Blake and Ryan Winters ended their career with 69 wins – the most by a senior class during the school’s Division I era. Elon ended the year winning four of its last five games.
In 2013-14, Wooten helped the Phoenix to an 18-14 record, including an 11-5 mark against league competition. The team's eight-game winning streak tied the 2012-13 and 2005-06 teams for the longest winning streak during Elon's Division I era. Elon finished the year with four 1,000-point scorers on its roster in Lucas Troutman, Jack Isenbarger, Sebastian Koch and Ryley Beaumont, becoming only the third school in the nation to accomplish such a feat. Elon ended the year ranked first in the conference in free throw percentage (87th nationally) at 72.3 percent and second in the league (34th nationally) in threes per game at 8.0.
In 2012-13, Wooten helped the maroon and gold to 21 victories and the Southern Conference North Division title. Elon also made its first-ever postseason appearance at the Division I level in 2013 when it earned an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
“Jack has already established an impeccable reputation in the Burlington community,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “He is bright and articulate and now is a national champion. I am thrilled that he will be an ambassador for Elon basketball and that our student-athletes will be able to learn from him.”
Wooten was a two-year letter winner on the Tar Heel basketball team, earning a national championship ring in 2009. He was honored with the Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete Award in 2009 as well as the Burgess McSwain Scholar-Athlete Award, an honor bestowed on the top scholar-athlete on the men’s basketball team. Wooten also competed for two seasons on the UNC junior varsity basketball team, captaining the team to a combined 24-8 record as the starting point guard.
Elected Phi Beta Kappa as a senior, Wooten was a strong leader during his years at North Carolina. In the summer of 2008, he volunteered with Upward Sports Camp, joining 16 other Americans to run a weeklong camp in rural Kenya. Wooten designed and led the soccer portion of the camp for the 600 participants. In 2009, he was recognized with the Laurel Wreath Award as an Ambassador of Good Will in Athletics for North Carolina. On the dean’s list throughout his career, Wooten graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
“I am encouraged by and excited about the direction of our basketball program,” Wooten said. “ We are in the heart of basketball country, Tobacco Road, and have a community behind us that loves the game. More importantly, our guys care about each other and are willing to make the commitment to be great both on and off the court. From our athletic department to our community, players and staff, there is a genuine close-knit, family feel to Elon basketball.”
Wooten lettered in basketball, soccer and track at Walter M. Williams High School. He earned all-conference accolades in both basketball and soccer and was a two-time city-county champion in the 400 meters. He married the former Berkley Webster in June of 2014.
