Ouachita Baptist University Men's Basketball

Education: Texas Christian University (1986) At Ouachita: 15th season (187-194) Career: 21st season (259-290) Records updated prior to the 2025-26 season Dennis Nutt, a former NBA player with the Dallas Mavericks from 1986-88, is entering his 15th season as head coach of the Tigers in 2025-26. He has led the Tigers to two Great American Conference tournament championships in 2013 and 2016, and a GAC regular season title in 2015. His 2016 squad qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament, the first appearance for the program since 2008. His 2024-25 squad finished at 22-8 overall and 16-6 in GAC games, just one game away from winning the league's regular season title. The 22 wins marked the most wins in a season for the program in the NCAA era.   At Ouachita, Nutt has coached 17 All-GAC selections and 10 GAC All-Tournament Selections, including 2013 GAC Tournament MVP Colt Fason and 2016 Tournament MVP Tirrell Brown. He was named GAC Coach of the Year following the 2014-2015 season. Under his leadership, the Tigers have earned two GAC player of the year honors (Tirell Brown and Hobert Grayson), three GAC newcomer of the year honors (Brown, Grayson, Lakee Westbrook), and two GAC defensive player of the year honors (Grayson, David Berete).   Nutt served as men’s basketball head coach at Texas State University from 2000 to 2006. He also has been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina University, Arkansas State University and Westark Community College, as well as a graduate assistant basketball coach at Texas A&M University. Prior to taking the head job at Ouachita, he was a consultant and fundraiser for Coker College and an NBA scout for the Charlotte Bobcats.   Among his many accolades, Nutt is a member of the TCU Hall of Fame, was selected to the All-Time Southwest Conference Team and was on the 1985 All Southwest Conference First Team. He also was named the team MVP in 1984 and 1985, was a 1981 Arkansas High School All-Star participant and was a 5A All-State selection in 1980-81 in both basketball and football. Nutt, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, is the youngest of four brothers with successful coaching careers. Houston and Danny Nutt are former college football coaches, most notably with the Arkansas Razorbacks, and Dickey Nutt is on the men’s basketball staff at the University of Missouri. Their father, the late Houston Nutt Sr., is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Deaf Hall of Fame.   A 1986 graduate of TCU, Dennis Nutt and his wife, Vicki, are the parents of twin daughters, Macy and Myca.  

Levin Thornton enters his fifth season as assistant coach for Ouachita men's basketball in 2025-26. He joined the Tigers after six combined years of coaching experience at three different NCAA D2 programs.  Before joining the Ouachita staff, he served as assistant coach at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma from 2020-22. Prior to his tenure with the Hillcats, Thornton was an assistant at the University of Texas-Permian Basin (2018-20) and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (2016-18). Thornton has been involved in all aspects of the game with recruiting, scouting, running practices, and player development. He has also managed creative content and social media for his previous two basketball teams, and will continue that role with Ouachita. The Mineral Springs, Arkansas native holds a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in business from UTPB.  

Rashard Stringfield is entering his second season with Tiger Basketball in 2025-26.   Stringfield came to Arkadelphia after a stint as the basketball operations coordinator with the Potawatomi Fire, a professional team that is a part of The Basketball League and is based in Shawnee, Oklahoma. With the Fire, Stringfield helped the team to back-to-back TBL Championships and an undefeated 27-0 record in 2024.   In 2022-23, Stringfield was on the staff of the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, as a basketball operations assistant.   In 2021-22, Stringfield was the Director of Basketball Operations for the Enid Outlaws, who won the 2021 TBL Championship in the team’s inaugural season with a 22-2 record.   Prior to working for the Outlaws, Stringfield served as the Assistant General Manager and Assistant Coach for the Little Rock Lightning of the TBL.   The Wynne, Arkansas native spent his college career at Philander Smith College in Little Rock where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and was a part of the Panther Basketball program.