Jerry Hemmings
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Jerry D. Hemmings (born February 17, 1948) is an American former basketball coach and professional basketball player. He coached the Brandon University men's basketball team to four CIAU National Championships. Hemmings is a member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame.
Career
= Playing career =
Hemmings played at North Surry High School in his native Mount Airy, North Carolina,{{Cite web|url=http://www.jerryhemmings.com|title=Jerry Hemmings - www.jerryhemmings.com|last=DESiGNS|first=PASiG|website=www.jerryhemmings.com|access-date=September 15, 2017}} graduating in 1966. He spent his college career at Surry Community College in Dobson, North Carolina and at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jerryhemmings.com/pdf/Jerry_Hemmings_ENTIRE_CV.pdf|title=Curriculum Vitae Jerry D. Hemmings BASKETBALL COACH|access-date=September 15, 2017}} In 1970, he was named Lakehead's Male Athlete of the Year. In his final season at Lakehead (1971–72), Hemmings earned WCIAA Great Plains First Team honors.{{Cite web|url=http://usportshoops.ca/history/person.php?Person=hemmings-jerry|title=U Sports Hoops - University Basketball in Canada|website=usportshoops.ca|access-date=September 15, 2017}} In the 1972-73 season, he played professionally for Etoile de Voiron in France.{{Cite news|url=http://basketball.eurobasket.com/coach/Jerry_Hemmings/Cyprus/Petrolina-AEK-Larnaca/3185|title=Coach Profile|work=www.eurobasket.com|access-date=September 15, 2017}}
He was inducted into the Lakehead Sports Wall of Fame as an athlete in 2001.{{Cite news|url=http://www.westmanjournal.com/sports/local-sports/coach-and-educator-jerry-hemmings-announces-retirement-1.1405482|title=Coach and educator Jerry Hemmings announces retirement|last=Athletics|first=Submitted by Matt Packwood, BU|work=Westman Journal|access-date=September 15, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916052815/http://www.westmanjournal.com/sports/local-sports/coach-and-educator-jerry-hemmings-announces-retirement-1.1405482|url-status=dead}}
= Coaching career =
His career on the sidelines began in the 1973-74 season as assistant coach at Lakehead University. In 1974, he became head men's basketball coach at Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba and would remain in that position until 2003, compiling a record of 734 wins. During a sabbatical leave in 1983-84, he served as volunteer assistant coach at Tulane University.{{Cite web|url=http://honouredmembers.sportmanitoba.ca/inductee.php?id=355|title=Honoured Members Database {{!}} Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame|website=honouredmembers.sportmanitoba.ca|access-date=September 15, 2017}}
Under his guidance the Brandon Bobcats won CIAU National Championships in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1996 and took silver medals in 1980, 2000 and 2001.{{Cite web|url=http://usportshoops.ca/history/champ-allgames.php?Gender=MBB|title=U Sports Hoops - University Basketball in Canada|website=usportshoops.ca|access-date=September 15, 2017}} He also coached the team to Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and one Canada West Championship in 2002.
Hemmings was presented with the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as CIAU Coach of the Year in 1980, while earning Great Plains Coach of the Year distinction in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
In 2003-04, he served as head coach of Al Ittihad of the Syrian elite league, in 2004-05, Hemmings coached the Mattersburg 49ers in the Austrian top-flight.{{Cite web|url=http://www.vereinsmeier.at/templates/news_archiv.php4?siteID=25268&vorlage=1049|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916053204/http://www.vereinsmeier.at/templates/news_archiv.php4?siteID=25268&vorlage=1049|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2017|title=Spiel gegen die Comets noch umgedreht: 104:91|website=vereinsmeier.at|access-date=September 15, 2017}} In 2009, he accepted the position as head coach of AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.{{Cite news|url=https://www.brandonu.ca/news/2009/08/10/bobcats-past-head-coach-hemmings-off-to-cyprus/|title=Bobcats past head coach Hemmings off to Cyprus|work=Brandon University|access-date=September 15, 2017}}
In 2007, Hemmings was inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame as a builder.{{Cite news|url=http://www.mbhof.com/p/builders.html#H|title=Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame: Builders of the Hall of Fame|work=Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame|access-date=September 15, 2017}}
== National team ==
Hemmings served as assistant coach of the Canadian Men's Basketball team from 1989 to 1994, including the World Championships in 1990 and 1994. He guided Canada's squad to a silver medal at the 1991 World University Games.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gobobcats.ca/staff.aspx?staff=7|title=Brandon University Athletics - Staff Directory|website=www.gobobcats.ca|access-date=September 15, 2017}}