Howard Payne University Men's Basketball

Drummond help start back up the women's and men's golf programs at Howard Payne in the fall of 2015 after a 12 year absence.  Coach Drummond came to the HPU golf program for the HPU men's basketball program where he served as head coach for the past eight years. With the home HPU course, Brownwood Country Club, and HPU's exclusive contract with Adidas and Taylor Made Coach Drummond looks forward to all the great things that are going to happen in the Yellow Jacket golf programs. Drummond loves playing golf and spending time with his family. He has three children, sons Garett and Grant, and daughter Lauren.

In the spring of 2021, Nadir Dalleh came to Howard Payne from Brownwood High School in Brownwood, Texas, where he led the Lions to two District Championships (2019 and 2020) and Bi-District Championships (2019 and 2020) over five seasons while compiling a 101-52 record during that time. At Brownwood, his teams earned five consecutive playoff appearances, never finishing below second in the district play. Before Brownwood, Coach Dalleh spent one season (2014-2015) at Coleman High School in Coleman, Texas, where he led the Bluecats to their first District Championship since 2000 and first Bi-District Championship since 1988. Coach Dalleh started his head coaching career at Early High School in Early, Texas, where over two seasons (2012-2013 and 2013-2014), he guided the Longhorns to their first playoff appearance in seven years. As a head high school coach, Nadir was 151-86 overall and was named District Coach of the Year twice in his career (2019 and 2020). A 2000 graduate of Howard Payne University, Nadir played point guard for the Yellow Jackets from 1993-1997, earning all-conference awards three times, including being named the TIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. He helped guide HPU to three straight conference championships and three NAIA national tournament appearances. Nadir is married to his wife Courtney, and they have two children Ryleigh and Reide, and grandchild Everleigh.  

With over three decades of coaching basketball, Tony Starnes has experience at the high school level as a head coach in Texas and Kansas, and as an assistant and head coach at the junior college and NAIA levels. Joining the Yellow Jacket staff in the summer of 2024, Coach Starnes came to HPU after three seasons at Arlington Baptist University serving as an assistant coach while helping lead them to the NCCAA national tournament twice and a 2021-22 NCCAA National Championship. His collegiate coaching tenures were at Arlington Baptist from 2021-2024 as an assistant, as the head coach at Clarendon College from 2001 to 2014, as an assistant at Collin County CC from 1999-2001/2014-2016, and as an assistant at Howard Payne University from 1990-1992. As a college coach, he led 12 different teams to NJCAA or NAIA playoffs, coached the NJCAA national scoring champions from 2009-2011 (98 ppg and 103 ppg), was named the WJCAC Coach of the Year in 2004, and was named the Clarendon College Employee of the Year in 2012. He has head high school coaching stints at Dodge City HS (KS) from 2017-2020, North Hopkins HS (KS) from 2016-2017, North Mesquite HS (TX) from 1995-1999, and Dodd City HS (TX) from 1993-1995. As a high school coach, he led seven teams to UIL State playoff appearances in Texas and led three teams to the KSHSAA State Playoffs in Kansas. Coach Starnes also has college athletic administrative experience serving as an assistant athletic director and athletic director at Clarendon College from 2005 to 2010. He also has several years of experience with high school boys and girls basketball spring, summer, and fall programs, leagues, and team camps as well as individual instruction, and directing and working at more than 200 basketball camps and/or clinics. He is married to Jayne Starnes for more than 35 years and they have two grown children, Bailey and Ryann.  

Nash Crawford enters his first season as a Graduate Assistant for the Howard Payne University Men’s Basketball program. A native of Dallas, Texas, Crawford joins the Yellow Jackets after serving at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas as head Junior Varsity basketball coach and member of the Alumni Service Corps. Before joining the Jesuit program, Crawford spent two seasons with the Texas Tech Lady Raider Basketball program as a student assistant, supporting recruiting, practice operations, and media day coordination. He also brings experience in digital media, having created graphic content for social media and recruiting initiatives. Crawford earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management with a minor in Media Studies from Texas Tech University.