East Carolina Men’s Basketball has announced the hiring of Ira “I.J.” Poole as an assistant coach, as shared by Head Coach Michael Schwartz on Friday morning.
Poole joins the team in Greenville after spending the past two seasons at Providence, where he served as the associate director of player development, scouting, and recruiting coordination. Before his tenure with the Friars, he was the director of player personnel and scouting at George Mason from 2021 to 2023.
Prior to his roles at Providence and George Mason, Poole was the assistant to the head coach at Tennessee from 2019 to 2021, marking his second stint with the Volunteers, having previously been a graduate manager from 2015 to 2017.
“We are extremely fortunate to add I.J. Poole to our coaching staff,” said Schwartz. “He is an incredible person and professional in this business. I.J. has an elite basketball mind and unique relationship skills that will allow him to make an immediate impact in all areas of our program. We are excited to have I.J. and his wife Rachel as part of the Pirate family.”
Poole also spent two seasons at Appalachian State, where he initially handled budget management, daily scheduling, and team travel as the director of basketball operations before being promoted to assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
He began his career at the University of Texas as a student manager, contributing to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an average of 22 wins per season during his time with the Longhorns.
A native of Austin, Texas, Poole graduated from Texas in 2015 with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Biology.
Leave a Reply