FIRST SEASON: 2015-16

Jody Bailey enters his seventh season as the lead assistant at the University of New Orleans and 29^th as a basketball coach overall in 2021-22. Bailey’s duties include recruiting, coaching the backcourt and player development. In addition, he helps prepare scouting reports, develop game plans and break down film of both the Privateers and opponents.
 
Bailey joined the program on Sept. 23, 2015 and has played a key role in the program’s renaissance over the last five years, including the 2017 Southland Conference Regular Season and Tournament championship team, the 2018 College Basketball Invitational and the 2019 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. In 2017, the Privateers posted a 20-12 overall record, won the SLC regular season championship with a 13-5 league mark, claimed the Southland Tournament title with a 68-65 overtime victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and advanced to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the first time in 21 years.

Bailey was instrumental in the development of Bryson Robinson, who concluded his Privateer career as the program's single season leader in three-pointers made (187) and a member of the 1,000 point club.
 
In 2018-19, the Privateers won 19 games en route to the championship game of the Southland Tournament. Along the way, Ezekiel Charles was third-team all-conference. The backcourt continued to grow as Robinson averaged double figures and tied James Parlow for the most three-pointers in a game (nine at Central Arkansas). The programs two leading scorers were Charles and Robinson. During the Southland Tournament, Jorge Rosa caught fire to lead New Orleans to wins over the red hot Lamar Cardinals and top seeded Sam Houston State.
 
In 2017-18, Bailey worked with a relatively new backcourt with Troy Green, Lamont Berzat, Damion Rosser, Charles Bohannon, Charles and Diontae Champion and returnees Robinson, Matthew Jiles and Rosa. Robinson improved his scoring and was second on the team, averaging 9.5 points per game and Charles followed with 7.5 points. The duo combined for 101 threes in 2017-18. Green averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, Champion followed with 5.1 points, Rosser chipped in 4.5 and Berzat appeared in 31 games, moving into a starting role late in the season.
 
Statistically in 2016-17 New Orleans led the Southland Conference in assists per game (15.7), field goal percentage (.473), three-point field goal percentage defense (.316) and fewest fouls per game (17.6). UNO ranked third in scoring margin (+3.6), scoring defense (69.2 points per game), steals per game (7.9) and turnovers forced per game (16.3).
 
Throughout his career, Bailey has worked on the bench for four teams that participated in postseason hoops; Louisville and New Orleans (NCAA Tournament), the NIT Final Four with Air Force and an NCAA Division II national championship with Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
Bailey began his coaching career at the University of Louisville while learning under Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum. Between his time at Freedom Hall and his arrival on the Lakefront, Bailey served as head coach at Calvary Christian Academy (1995-96), Eagles Landing Christian Academy (2002-04) and Jacksonville College (2010-15) and as an assistant coach at Indiana University-Southeast (1996-97), Beth Haven Christian School (1997-98), Kentucky Wesleyan (1998-99) and Tennessee Temple (1999-2002). His wide range of experience also includes stints as an NBA Scout for Marty Blake & Associates (2004-06), video coordinator at Air Force Academy (2006-07) and director of operations at Colorado (2007-10). He has 14 years of Division I coaching experience.
 
Prior to joining the UNO staff, Bailey spent five seasons as head coach at Jacksonville College in Texas where he led the Jaguars to a combined 96-62 overall record, including three-consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins – a first for the program in 15 years – while playing in the Texas Eastern Conference, a premier junior college conference in the country. Along the way, Jacksonville qualified for the NJCAA Region XIV Tournament and twice advanced to the event’s Final Four. Bailey was named Region XIV Co-Head Coach of the Year following the 2010-11 season and all 40 sophomores to play for Bailey at JC signed with four-year schools, with 14 joining NCAA Division I programs.
 
A native of Louisville, Ky., Bailey lettered in basketball, baseball and cross country as a prepster at Beth Haven Christian. Prior to his 1990 graduation and playing for his father, Bailey became the school’s career assists leader and his 903 helpers ranked fourth all-time in the state of Kentucky. He played collegiately at Tennessee Temple in 1990-91 and at Clearwater Christian College in 1991-92 before transferring to the University of Louisville to begin his coaching career.
 
Bailey earned a pair of degrees from Louisville with a bachelor’s in physical education in 1995 and a master’s in physical education and sports administration in 1997. He is married to the former Joy Werle of Panama City, Fla., and the couple has two sons: J. Lawrence and Jaxon Steele.