By Jeffrey Messman
BOCA RATON – Lynn University’s men’s basketball team has added James Altman to the staff as an assistant coach, it was announced by head coach Scott McMillin. Altman, a former assistant to McMillin at Santa Fe Community College, brings seven years of Division I experience to the Fighting Knights program.
“Simply put, James is as good as it gets,” McMillin said. “He’s an unbelievable worker, extremely self-motivated and truly cares about the success of student-athletes both on and off the floor. James is a tremendous coach and I respect and trust him immensely.”
Altman has spent the last seven years on staff with Travis Ford, most recently a two year stretch as video coordinator at Oklahoma State University. With the Cowboys, he was responsible for game scout preparation as well as assisting in recruiting, scheduling and co-directing the Travis Ford Basketball School and coaching clinic.
Prior to his time at OSU, Altman spent three years at the University of Massachusetts as the Director of Basketball Operations. With the Minutemen, he was in charge of scheduling and planning official and unofficial visits as well as arranging and coordinating team travel and off campus practices.
He also worked with the administration and coaches for facility scheduling and assisting with pre- and postseason strength and conditioning along with assisting the coaching staff with scouting reports and video editing.
Joining the Eastern Kentucky University staff in 2003, Altman was responsible for recruiting, scouting and coordinating film exchange. He was also responsible for organizing and updating the recruiting database as well as daily recruiting mail outs.
Prior to his time at EKU, Altman spent a year at Santa Fe CC under the direction of McMillin. The team posted a 25-6 overall record and won the Mid-Florida Conference Championship. The team ended the season ranked 19th in the NJCAA and No. 2 in the Florida Community College Athletic Association.
A native of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Altman earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Hartwick College in 2002. He was a co-captain and all-conference selection for the Hawks during his collegiate career, ending his tenure as a four-year starter and ranking third all-time in three pointers made and eighth in assists.