Francis Marion University Men's Basketball

Jacob Zehnder enters his third season as head coach, and his fifth year overall at Francis Marion.  He served as an assistant coach for the two years before being named the head coach in the fall of 2022. This past season, he guided FMU to a 15-13 record, a third-place finish in the East Division standings, and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Tournament.  In his first year as head coach, he directed the Patriots to a 14-14 record and an appearance in the second round of the conference tournament. As an assistant coach in 2021-22, he helped the Patriot program to a 10-win improvement over the previous season.  He was the recipient of the University's 2021-22 Frankie Award for Assistant Coach of the Year. A native of St. Cloud, Fla., Zehnder came to FMU after six seasons as an assistant coach at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, where those Patriots compiled a 138-52 mark. He also helped guide the school to a state-best 13th consecutive FCSAA State Tournament appearance and NJCAA Top 25 rankings in four of his six years.  During his time at CF, he helped recruit and coach shooting guard Quenton Jackson, who now plays with the NBA's Indiana Pacers and spending time with the Washington Wizards.  During the 2019-20 season, CF finished 25-7 and won the Mid-Florida Conference championship. Zehnder was instrumental in the pursuance of individual and team development, helping the Patriots to multiple team and individual Top 10 rankings.  In 2018, Zehnder was recognized as the top junior college assistant coach under 30-years-old by Coachstat.net. Before arriving at CF, Zehnder served as the head coach of the freshmen and assistant coach of the varsity team at The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., from 2012 to 2014. His coaching career also includes a stint as an assistant at P.K. Yonge during the 2011-12 season. While at The Rock School, Zehnder coached a number of accomplished players, including Joel Embiid, former No.4 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and 5-time NBA All-Star. During the spring and summer months, Zehnder coached youth basketball for the Gainesville Kings AAU organization between 2011 and 2013. His U4-U6 teams won a number of tournaments, including the well-known Disney Easter Classic.   Zehnder earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in business and organizational management from the College of Central Florida.  He played high school basketball at both Harmony High School and Florida Air Academy. (8-2024)

Alex Birge is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Francis Marion men's basketball program. He came to FMU after six seasons as an assistant at Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Fla.  During that time, the Saints recorded 92 wins, including a 24-6 mark in 2021-22 when Sante Fe reached the FCSAA D1 State/NJCAA District Quarterfinals. Birge also spent three seasons at NAIA member Indiana University Kokomo, including serving as interim head coach during the majority of the 2016-17 season. A native of Decatur, Ill., he played one season each at Spoon River Junior College and Monmouth College.  He began his coaching career as a student video coordinator at Bradley University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2013.  He later received an MBA degree from Indiana University Kokomo in 2016. (8-2024)

Patrick Paul enters his third season as an assistant coach with the Francis Marion University men's basketball program. A native of Florence, S.C., Paul is a health and physical education teacher in Florence School District One.  He arrived at FMU after one season as an assistant coach for the varsity girls' basketball team at Trinity Collegiate School in Darlington. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the varsity boys' basketball team at South Florence High School for two years.   Paul is the owner and head trainer of Passion Driven Sports Training and is currently an assistant coach with Upward Stars Southeast 3SSB girls team based out of South Carolina. He previously served as an Intern with the City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department.  From 2006 to 2014, Paul served as an E-5 Staff Sergeant for the United States Air Force and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Maricopa County, Ariz . A graduate of Wilson High School, he briefly attended FMU before enrolling in the Air Force.  After his years of service, Paul played both baseball and basketball collegiately at Morris College in Sumter, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in recreation administration. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi He is currently working on a Masters of Education and Leadership Principles degree with Strayer University. (8-2024)