Justin Scott completed his sixth season as head coach of the Arcadia University men’s basketball team in 2017-18, after serving as the top assistant coach at Arcadia for two seasons. Off the court, Scott serves as Assistant Athletic Director, a promotion he received in January of 2016, as well as a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee.
Through his six seasons leading the Knights, Scott has amassed an overall record of 81-81 as the team posted .500 or better record and appeared in the postseason in four of his six years on the bench. During his tenure, Arcadia has totaled 10 All-MAC Commonwealth selections and had three MAC Commonwealth Rookies of the Year. Soctt was named the MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year following the 2012-13 season.
After posting a 9-16 record in the 2016-17 season, Scott led the Knights to a five-win improvement and a 14-14 ledger in 2017-18. The Knights returned to postseason and advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Commonwealth Championships, while also qualifying for the ECAC Championships. The fifth-seeded Knights upset No. 4 Messiah 88-55 in the quarterfinals. During the season, Josh Scott became the 10th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Da'Kquan Davis was tabbed the league's top rookie at the end of the season, and both Scott and Phil Pierfy were named to the all-conference second team.
Scott led the Knights to one of the best seasons in program history in 2015-16, finishing with a 17-11 overall record. After being picked at the bottom of the MAC Commonwealth preseason poll, the Knights were seeded third in the MAC Commonwealth playoffs before advancing to the conference title game for the first time since joining the league for the 2007-08 season. Following the title game appearance, the Knights qualified for the Eastern College Athletic conference (ECAC) tournament for the second-consecutive year.
The Knights posted an overall record of 16-13 in 2014-15 and finished in a four-way tie for second in the final MAC Commonwealth standings with a league mark of 10-6. Arcadia was seeded fifth based on the conference tiebreakers and fell in overtime to fourth-seeded, and eventual conference, champion Alvernia. The Knights were then selected for their first-ever ECAC tournament, and advanced to the title game as the No. 5 seed in the eight-team tournament field. Seniors Joe Brown (First-Team) and Travis Saltus (Honorable Mention) were named all-conference selections.
Scott led the program to the most successful season in 13 years in his first year leading the program in 2012-13 as the Knights posted an overall record of 16-11 and qualified for postseason play for the first time since 2006. Arcadia was picked ninth out of 10 in the MAC Commonwealth preseason poll, but exceeded expectations by finishing fourth. The Knights hosted and won their First Round playoff game with a thrilling 85-83 win over fifth-seeded Stevenson at Alumni Gymnasium, marking the program’s first postseason victory since 2000. For these accomplishments, Scott was named the 2012-13 Commonwealth Coach of the Year and the Sam Cozen Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Area Small College Basketball Association.
In addition to Scott’s accolades, three men’s basketball players were recognized for individual efforts. Senior Khalief Trawick was named a Second-Team All-MAC Commonwealth selection, while Brown and Saltus received Honorable Mention to the All-MAC Commonwealth Team. The Knights were also ranked seventh in the initial Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll for the first time in over 10 years.
In the summer of 2014,
Scott was named the head coach of the St. Vincent & The Grenadines Senior Men's Basketball Team, and led that squad at the 2015 FIBA Caribbean Basketball Championship in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The FIBA Caribbean Basketball Championship serves as the first round of FIBA World Championship and Olympic qualifying.
A native of Philadelphia, Scott was a member of the All-Public League Team at George Washington Carver Engineering & Science High School. Scott has close educational and athletic ties to Philadelphia and remains actively involved in community service, both personally and along with his team. Scott’s mother, Anna Lee (Gonsalves) Scott is an alum of Arcadia (then known as Beaver College) and was a member of the women’s basketball team in 1978-79. While attending Arcadia, she met her husband and Justin’s father, Harry Scott.
Scott is also an active board member of the Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation, a non-profit organization founded after the sudden passing of close friend Daniel Rumph due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The foundation raises awareness concerning sudden cardiac arrest, provides free screenings for hypertrophy cardiomyopathy, and provides automated external defibrillators and CPR training to tri-state area recreation centers. Under Scott’s leadership, the men’s basketball program has helped the foundation to raise money and awareness for the cause.
Scott graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management in 2007. He started 27 games at guard for ESU as a senior captain in 2006-07 and was third on the team with 64 assists and fourth with 29 steals. He played in all 28 games for the Warriors as a junior after transferring from Bloomsburg University, where he played his first two seasons. Scott earned a master’s degree in Management and Leadership with a concentration in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg in 2008.
Scott joined Arcadia after three successful seasons at his alma mater East Stroudsburg University assisting Head Coach Jeff Wilson and the Warriors from 2007-10. While at East Stroudsburg, Scott also served as the Coordinator for Special Projects, Diversity and Social Justice Education in the Athletic Department. In this role, Scott aided the ESU coaching staff in recruiting and retaining diverse student-athletes and coaches, implementing social justice education programs and assisting in athletic operations.
Updated 1/17/2019
