Birth Date: January 22, 1968
Birthplace: Coopertown, Tenn.
Education: Springfield High School (Tenn.), David Lipscomb University ('91), Tennessee State University ('94).
Experience: Middle School Coach / High School Assistant, David Lipscomb Campus School (1991-1994); Assistant Coach, David Lipscomb University (1994-1999); Assistant Coach, Film Coach, University of Utah (1999-2001); Assistant Coach, University of Colorado (2001-2005); Head Coach Freed-Hardeman University (2005-present)
Former Players In The NBA: David Harrison, currently with Indiana, selected No. 29 overall in the first round of the NBA draft.
Jason Shelton will enter his fourth season at the helm of the Freed-Hardeman Lions this fall as the men's head basketball coach.
Shelton came to Freed-Hardeman from Colorado where he was the assistant coach for the University of Colorado where his responsibilities included off-campus recruiting and scouting along with on-court responsibilities. He was also the director for the Ricardo Patton Basketball School.
While at Colorado University, he helped lead the No. 11 seed University of Colorado to defeat the No. 6 Texas in the first round of the 2004-05 Big 12 Tournament. This was the first time that an 11th seeded team had ever defeated a sixth seed in the nine-year history of the tournament.
During the Buffaloes' 2002-03 season, he helped lead CU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years. The Buffs were the only team to defeat two Final Four participants (Kansas and Texas), and it was the first time the Buffaloes defeated four teams ranked in both polls (Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma State) in the same year.
It was also CU's first season to ever go undefeated at home in the Big 12 Conference as they posted an 8-0 mark in their gym. That year, the team had the most home wins in CU's history with 14, and three CU team members were named Phillips 66/Big 12 Players of the Week, the most of any season.
Before moving to Colorado, Shelton was the assistant coach at the University of Utah from 1999-2001. While there his responsibilities included off-campus recruiting and scouting along with on-court responsibilities and was the director of the Rick Majerus Basketball Camp. The 1999-2000 Utes lost to eventual national champion Michigan State in the closest game the Spartans had on the way to the title.
Shelton began his college coaching career at his alma mater, David Lipscomb University, in 1994 where he assisted coach Don Meyer in leading the Bison to a 144-36 record, four national tournament appearances and a trip to the 1996 NAIA Final Four.
Shelton has directed five clinics for regional basketball coaches and was clinician and director of the largest summer basketball camp program in the nation. The experience he gained led to his assistance in developing a 30-tape series on basketball instruction for coaches and players. The series is currently the best selling of its type on the market.
While attending David Lipscomb, he was part of the 1989-90 team that was ranked No.1 in the nation, advanced to the final NAIA Final Four and set an all-time record for wins in college basketball with a 41-5 mark. During his time as a student athlete the Bisons were 139-16 and led the nation in scoring during three of those seasons by averaging 108, 111 and 110 points per game respectively.
Shelton lettered in basketball and baseball while attending Springfield High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in speech education from David Lipscomb and his master's in education in administration and supervision from Tennessee State University.
Shelton is married to Emily (Hunt) of Nashville, Tenn., and has two sons, Mac and Myles.
Birth Date: October 15, 1980
Birthplace: Linden, Tenn.
Education: Perry County High School (Tenn.); Tennessee Technological University ('03); Tennessee Technological University (MBA-'05).
Ryan Parnell will enter his fourth season as assistant coach for the
Freed-Hardeman Lion basketball team. Parnell, a native of Linden,
Tenn., came to FHU from Tennessee Technological University in
Cookeville. He is a 2003 graduate from Tennessee Tech with a
Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management with a concentration
in Information Systems. In May of 2005, he received his MBA from TTU.
While
at Tennessee Tech, Parnell was team manager for four years, the first three
under Coach Jeff Lebo, now at Auburn University and the last under
Coach Mike Sutton. During that time, the TTU Golden Eagles won three
Ohio Valley Conference Championships. During the 2002 season, they advanced to the
quarterfinals of the NIT. In 2003, he took a graduate assistant
position before being promoted to the Director of Basketball
Operations one year later. As Director of Basketball Operations, his
responsibilities included coordinating travel accommodations, film
exchange, ordering and maintaining equipment, and hiring student
managers. During this time, he also held the position of Assistant Camp
Director where his responsibilities included scheduling camp games,
workers, and facilities.
Parnell graduated from Perry County
High School in 1999 where he was a student assistant/manager for Coach
Bruce Slatten. While at PCHS, the team was state runner-up and also won
a state championship title.
Parnell is married to Elizabeth (Regg) of Nashville, Tenn.
