Men's Basketball
Cherry, Scott
Scott Cherry
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- E-Mail Address:
- cherr2s@cmich.edu
- Phone:
- (989) 774-3041
- Year at CMU:
- 2nd year at CMU
- Hometown:
- Ballston, N.Y.
- Alma Mater/Year:
- North Carolina, 1993
- Experience:
- 27th year overall
Scott Cherry joined Tony Barbee’s coaching staff in July 2023 as an assistant coach. Cherry’s main responsibilities at CMU will include recruiting student-athletes, game preparation, and on-floor coaching.
The CMU men’s basketball program is headed in the right direction after Barbee, Cherry, and the Chippewas challenged for a Mid-American Conference title and finished in fourth place with a 12-6 league record in 2023-24. CMU’s 12 league victories were the most since the 2014-15 season. In the offseason, the coaching staff rebuilt CMU’s roster with only four players returning as they added 12 new players and blended them into a team that challenged for the league title. In the preseason coaches’ poll, CMU was picked to finish in 12th place out of 12 teams.
Cherry arrived at Central Michigan after spending the last two seasons (2021-23) at Jacksonville University under head coach Jordan Mincy. He also spent nine years (2009-18) as the head coach at High Point University, where he guided the Panthers to four consecutive Big South regular season championships from 2013-16 and two Big South North Division titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14. High Point was one of just four programs nationally to win four straight regular season titles during that stretch, joining Kansas, Gonzaga, and Stephen F. Austin. HPU qualified for the postseason in a school-record four-straight seasons and advanced to the NIT for the second time in three seasons in 2015-16. Cherry was also named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2014 and led HPU to a 146-134 overall and 92-65 Big South record (.586). Teams that Cherry has either coached and or played for have made 13 postseason appearances, including seven NCAA Tournaments, four NIT appearances and two CIT appearances.
During the 2015-16 campaign, HPU compiled yet another championship season, claiming the Big South regular season crown with 13 league wins, including a school-record seven coming away from the Millis Center. High Point won 21 games and clinched back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1994-95. With 13 league victories, High Point also became the first program in Big South history to win 12+ conference games in four-straight seasons.
In 2014-15, HPU set a number of program firsts. The Panthers set NCAA Division I program records for overall wins (23), Big South victories (13), road wins (nine) and Big South road wins (six). In addition, the Panthers advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round to earn the first postseason win in the program’s NCAA Division I history.
Cherry was named Big South Coach of the Year in 2013-14 after leading the Panthers to a 16-15 overall record and 12-4 league record. The Panthers won the Big South North Division and the overall conference regular season, earning the league’s automatic bid into the National Invitation Tournament. Cherry is HPU’s first Coach of the Year honoree.
High Point earned its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason bid in 2012-13, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and its first-ever NIT bid in 2013-14. The Panthers’ Big South North Division title in 2012-13 was the team’s first championship (regular season or tournament) since joining the league in 1999-2000.
During the team's four-year conference title run, the Panthers featured the talents of two-time All-America honorable mention and Big South Player of the Year John Brown. He was named to the Julius Erving Watch List during his senior campaign in 2015-16 and was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player. He became the first player ever to be named both the Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. In addition to his accolades, Brown also brought HPU fans to their feet with his arsenal of electric dunks and high-effort play. The high-flying forward was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s top-10 plays 10 times during his career.
The team received national exposure like never before under Cherry’s watch. Brown’s 10 ESPN SportsCenter appearances were the highlight. He earned ESPN’s No. 1 play for an alley-oop during High Point’s regular-season clinching win over Campbell on Feb. 28. Brown also has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, NBCSports.com and FoxSports.com and his monster alley-oop dunk vs. Coastal Carolina on Feb. 6, 2015, was promoted by Deadspin, SBNation, ESPN and viewed by more than 2.5 million Twitter users. Former HPU guard Shay Shine was also featured as ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 1 and No. 2 plays during the 2010-11 season. Allan Chaney was featured by media outlets across the nation, including the Washington Post, the Sporting News and ESPN.com. He was named CBSSports.com Comeback Player of the Year in 2012-13. Nick Barbour became High Point’s first participant in the College 3-Point Championship in 2012 and Corey Law became HPU’s first participant in the College Slam Dunk Championship in 2013.
High Point received a tremendous amount of exposure for its epic come-from-behind 62-61 victory in Baltimore over Morgan State, in which the Panthers rallied from a 20-point deficit in the second half. Anthony Lindauer’s 30-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer was featured on multiple media outlets and was named Scott Van Pelt’s Best Available Video on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Prior to Cherry’s arrival, High Point went 9-21 overall and 4-14 in Big South play in 2008-09. HPU posted a six-win improvement in Cherry’s first season of 2009-10, going 15-15 overall and 10-8 in the Big South.
Featuring a style similar to his playing days at North Carolina, Cherry’s players pushed the ball up the floor, moved the ball quickly and played pressure defense. The results were obvious in HPU’s first season under Cherry, as the team’s scoring offense improved from 64.4 to 72.3 points per game and HPU featured the conference’s leader in three-point percentage in overall games (Barbour) and in conference games (Eugene Harris). In the next two seasons, the Panthers featured one of the top guard tandems in the region with Barbour and Shine.
Cherry joined High Point University after serving as assistant coach to Darrin Horn for two seasons, first at Western Kentucky and then when Horn became the head coach at South Carolina, Cherry moved on with Horn to become the top assistant with the Gamecocks. Alongside Horn at South Carolina in 2008-09, Cherry played an integral part in helping lead the Gamecocks to a 21-10 record that included a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title and an appearance in the NIT. At Western Kentucky, Cherry helped lead the Hilltoppers to a 29-7 mark, a Sun Belt Conference title, a No. 23 final national ranking and a historic trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen as a No. 12 seed.
Prior to joining the Western Kentucky staff, Cherry spent a total of seven seasons in two different stints at George Mason from 1999-2002 and 2003-07, where he worked alongside current Miami head coach Jim Larranaga. During Cherry’s tenure at GMU, the Patriots earned four postseason bids, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and accumulated a record of 140-79 (.639) overall, and 82-40 (.672) in the Colonial Athletic Association. George Mason won the CAA regular-season title in 2005-06, earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, and made it all the way to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. On its way to the Final Four, George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Patriots finally lost to eventual national champion Florida and finished the season with a program-best 27-8 record, including a 15-3 CAA mark.
During his first stint with the Patriots from 1999-02, Cherry helped lead the squad to three straight first or second-place finishes in the CAA along with a 36-14 mark (.720 winning percentage) in league play. George Mason won the CAA Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and earned a bid to the 2002 NIT. Cherry spent the 2002-03 season at Tennessee Tech, helping the team to 20 wins and the Ohio Valley Conference title game.
A 1993 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in business administration, Cherry earned four letters for the Tar Heels basketball team and served as team captain as a senior. UNC went 107-33 in Cherry’s four seasons, advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen every year, two NCAA Final Fours in 1991 and 1993, and captured the 1993 NCAA title.
Upon graduation, Cherry played one season of professional basketball for the AEL Basketball Club in Limassol, Cyprus.
A native of Ballston Spa, N.Y., Cherry and his wife, Cortney, have one son, Brody.
THE CHERRY FILE
Birthdate: February 18, 1971
Hometown: Ballston, N.Y.
Family: Wife Cortney, son Brody
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, University of North Carolina, 1993
Coaching Career
Assistant Coach, Central Michigan University, 2023-current
Assistant Coach, Jacksonville University, 2021-22
Head Coach, High Point University, 2009-18
Assistant Coach, University of South Carolina, 2008-09
Assistant Coach, Western Kentucky University, 2007-08
Assistant Coach, George Mason University, 2003-07
Assistant Coach, Tennessee Tech University, 2002-03
Assistant Coach, George Mason University, 1999-2002
Assistant Coach (Women’s), Middle Tennessee, 1998-99
Assistant Coach, Bishop McGuinness (N.C.) High School, 1997
Playing Career
Earned four letters at North Carolina (1989-93) … Served as team captain in 1992-93 … Played professionally in Cyprus for the AEL Basketball Club in Limassol.
The CMU men’s basketball program is headed in the right direction after Barbee, Cherry, and the Chippewas challenged for a Mid-American Conference title and finished in fourth place with a 12-6 league record in 2023-24. CMU’s 12 league victories were the most since the 2014-15 season. In the offseason, the coaching staff rebuilt CMU’s roster with only four players returning as they added 12 new players and blended them into a team that challenged for the league title. In the preseason coaches’ poll, CMU was picked to finish in 12th place out of 12 teams.
Cherry arrived at Central Michigan after spending the last two seasons (2021-23) at Jacksonville University under head coach Jordan Mincy. He also spent nine years (2009-18) as the head coach at High Point University, where he guided the Panthers to four consecutive Big South regular season championships from 2013-16 and two Big South North Division titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14. High Point was one of just four programs nationally to win four straight regular season titles during that stretch, joining Kansas, Gonzaga, and Stephen F. Austin. HPU qualified for the postseason in a school-record four-straight seasons and advanced to the NIT for the second time in three seasons in 2015-16. Cherry was also named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2014 and led HPU to a 146-134 overall and 92-65 Big South record (.586). Teams that Cherry has either coached and or played for have made 13 postseason appearances, including seven NCAA Tournaments, four NIT appearances and two CIT appearances.
During the 2015-16 campaign, HPU compiled yet another championship season, claiming the Big South regular season crown with 13 league wins, including a school-record seven coming away from the Millis Center. High Point won 21 games and clinched back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1994-95. With 13 league victories, High Point also became the first program in Big South history to win 12+ conference games in four-straight seasons.
In 2014-15, HPU set a number of program firsts. The Panthers set NCAA Division I program records for overall wins (23), Big South victories (13), road wins (nine) and Big South road wins (six). In addition, the Panthers advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round to earn the first postseason win in the program’s NCAA Division I history.
Cherry was named Big South Coach of the Year in 2013-14 after leading the Panthers to a 16-15 overall record and 12-4 league record. The Panthers won the Big South North Division and the overall conference regular season, earning the league’s automatic bid into the National Invitation Tournament. Cherry is HPU’s first Coach of the Year honoree.
High Point earned its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason bid in 2012-13, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and its first-ever NIT bid in 2013-14. The Panthers’ Big South North Division title in 2012-13 was the team’s first championship (regular season or tournament) since joining the league in 1999-2000.
During the team's four-year conference title run, the Panthers featured the talents of two-time All-America honorable mention and Big South Player of the Year John Brown. He was named to the Julius Erving Watch List during his senior campaign in 2015-16 and was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player. He became the first player ever to be named both the Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. In addition to his accolades, Brown also brought HPU fans to their feet with his arsenal of electric dunks and high-effort play. The high-flying forward was featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s top-10 plays 10 times during his career.
The team received national exposure like never before under Cherry’s watch. Brown’s 10 ESPN SportsCenter appearances were the highlight. He earned ESPN’s No. 1 play for an alley-oop during High Point’s regular-season clinching win over Campbell on Feb. 28. Brown also has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, NBCSports.com and FoxSports.com and his monster alley-oop dunk vs. Coastal Carolina on Feb. 6, 2015, was promoted by Deadspin, SBNation, ESPN and viewed by more than 2.5 million Twitter users. Former HPU guard Shay Shine was also featured as ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 1 and No. 2 plays during the 2010-11 season. Allan Chaney was featured by media outlets across the nation, including the Washington Post, the Sporting News and ESPN.com. He was named CBSSports.com Comeback Player of the Year in 2012-13. Nick Barbour became High Point’s first participant in the College 3-Point Championship in 2012 and Corey Law became HPU’s first participant in the College Slam Dunk Championship in 2013.
High Point received a tremendous amount of exposure for its epic come-from-behind 62-61 victory in Baltimore over Morgan State, in which the Panthers rallied from a 20-point deficit in the second half. Anthony Lindauer’s 30-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer was featured on multiple media outlets and was named Scott Van Pelt’s Best Available Video on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Prior to Cherry’s arrival, High Point went 9-21 overall and 4-14 in Big South play in 2008-09. HPU posted a six-win improvement in Cherry’s first season of 2009-10, going 15-15 overall and 10-8 in the Big South.
Featuring a style similar to his playing days at North Carolina, Cherry’s players pushed the ball up the floor, moved the ball quickly and played pressure defense. The results were obvious in HPU’s first season under Cherry, as the team’s scoring offense improved from 64.4 to 72.3 points per game and HPU featured the conference’s leader in three-point percentage in overall games (Barbour) and in conference games (Eugene Harris). In the next two seasons, the Panthers featured one of the top guard tandems in the region with Barbour and Shine.
Cherry joined High Point University after serving as assistant coach to Darrin Horn for two seasons, first at Western Kentucky and then when Horn became the head coach at South Carolina, Cherry moved on with Horn to become the top assistant with the Gamecocks. Alongside Horn at South Carolina in 2008-09, Cherry played an integral part in helping lead the Gamecocks to a 21-10 record that included a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title and an appearance in the NIT. At Western Kentucky, Cherry helped lead the Hilltoppers to a 29-7 mark, a Sun Belt Conference title, a No. 23 final national ranking and a historic trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen as a No. 12 seed.
Prior to joining the Western Kentucky staff, Cherry spent a total of seven seasons in two different stints at George Mason from 1999-2002 and 2003-07, where he worked alongside current Miami head coach Jim Larranaga. During Cherry’s tenure at GMU, the Patriots earned four postseason bids, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and accumulated a record of 140-79 (.639) overall, and 82-40 (.672) in the Colonial Athletic Association. George Mason won the CAA regular-season title in 2005-06, earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, and made it all the way to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. On its way to the Final Four, George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Patriots finally lost to eventual national champion Florida and finished the season with a program-best 27-8 record, including a 15-3 CAA mark.
During his first stint with the Patriots from 1999-02, Cherry helped lead the squad to three straight first or second-place finishes in the CAA along with a 36-14 mark (.720 winning percentage) in league play. George Mason won the CAA Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and earned a bid to the 2002 NIT. Cherry spent the 2002-03 season at Tennessee Tech, helping the team to 20 wins and the Ohio Valley Conference title game.
A 1993 graduate of North Carolina with a degree in business administration, Cherry earned four letters for the Tar Heels basketball team and served as team captain as a senior. UNC went 107-33 in Cherry’s four seasons, advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen every year, two NCAA Final Fours in 1991 and 1993, and captured the 1993 NCAA title.
Upon graduation, Cherry played one season of professional basketball for the AEL Basketball Club in Limassol, Cyprus.
A native of Ballston Spa, N.Y., Cherry and his wife, Cortney, have one son, Brody.
THE CHERRY FILE
Birthdate: February 18, 1971
Hometown: Ballston, N.Y.
Family: Wife Cortney, son Brody
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, University of North Carolina, 1993
Coaching Career
Assistant Coach, Central Michigan University, 2023-current
Assistant Coach, Jacksonville University, 2021-22
Head Coach, High Point University, 2009-18
Assistant Coach, University of South Carolina, 2008-09
Assistant Coach, Western Kentucky University, 2007-08
Assistant Coach, George Mason University, 2003-07
Assistant Coach, Tennessee Tech University, 2002-03
Assistant Coach, George Mason University, 1999-2002
Assistant Coach (Women’s), Middle Tennessee, 1998-99
Assistant Coach, Bishop McGuinness (N.C.) High School, 1997
Playing Career
Earned four letters at North Carolina (1989-93) … Served as team captain in 1992-93 … Played professionally in Cyprus for the AEL Basketball Club in Limassol.