Meet UPIKE assistant men’s basketball coach Tigh Compton

Beginning his 10th season as UPIKE men’s assistant basketball coach
 
Compton has climbed his way up head coach Kelly Wells’ coaching staff, first serving as a student assistant for two years from 2009-11 before being elevated to the assistant role prior to the 2011-12 season and the associate head coach role prior to the 2014-15 season.
 
As the top assistant for the program, Compton plays an integral role in recruiting, scouting and player development at UPIKE.
 
Compton has helped guide UPIKE to a stellar 233-63 (.787) record over the last nine years that has included nine winning campaigns, eight 20-win seasons, six seasons with 25 or more wins, three Mid-South Conference regular season championships, and seven NAIA National Tournament berths.
 
Compton was on the sidelines for two of the best teams in program history. First the 2010-2011 team that set a then program record with 30 wins en route to the programs first ever NAIA National Championship and then in 2013-14 when UPIKE once again set a program record for wins when it won 31 games, sweeping the Mid-South Conference regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament.
 
While on staff, 15 UPIKE players have received NAIA All-American honors including 2015 NAIA/NABC National Player of the Year KJ Manigault and eventual MSC Players of the year Jamar “Deuce” Briscoe, Bruce Reed, and Darrion Leslie.
 
He has also played a vital role in helping over 20 UPIKE student-athletes continue their careers professionally in America and overseas.
 
Compton came to UPIKE as a student assistant prior to the 2009-10 season after graduating with an associate’s degree from Southwest Virginia Community College. He graduated from the University of Pikeville with a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2011. He resides in Pikeville with his wife and fellow UPIKE alumni, Lisa Compton.