BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb men's basketball announced Monday that Jeremy Luther has been promoted to the position of Associate Head Coach.

"I have been very blessed to work with some terrific coaches during my time at Gardner-Webb," said head coach Tim Craft. "DeAntoine Beasley, Paul Hemrick and Heath Greene have worked tirelessly to move our basketball program forward and they are outstanding ambassadors for GWU – as well as role models for our student-athletes.

"Jeremy has excelled in a number of roles on our staff, but his leadership in sharing his wisdom and experiences with everyone in our program has been most important and is a primary reason for why I felt this title promotion was warranted – to better reflect his overall contributions to the program."

Luther will begin his fifth season on Craft's staff at Gardner-Webb in 2017-2018 and has nearly two decades of coaching experience on the collegiate level – including six successful seasons as head coach at Newberry and Armstrong Atlantic State. 

Luther, along with the current trio of Beasley, Hemrick and Greene, has been a vital part of Gardner-Webb's consistent success during Craft's tenure. That includes four-straight winning seasons, which is the longest stretch since the program's move to Division I, and three consecutive trips to the Big South Conference tournament semifinals. Gardner-Webb has gone 74-60 over the past four seasons, including 41 wins in Big South Conference action – and wins over Power Five programs Clemson, Purdue and Nebraska.

Luther's recruiting efforts have yielded terrific results, which was a key part of Gardner-Webb's outstanding year in 2016-2017. The 'Dogs posted 19 wins overall and won 11 games in the Big South for only the second time since joining the league in 2008-2009. GWU was the lone program to earn three All-Big South selections and forged the program's highest GPA in nine seasons.

"Coach Luther's experience and knowledge as a former head coach has proven invaluable to our organization throughout the course of the last four years," added Craft. "He is a great mentor to our players and younger staff members – as well as a trustworthy advisor and supportive confidant for me. Jeremy, along with his wife Ginny and three kids, have also been enthusiastic participants on our campus and in our community."

Luther and Craft's relationship dates back 27 years to their days growing up in Tallahassee, Fla., and attending North Florida Christian School. Luther played Division I basketball at both Robert Morris and Liberty and finished his playing career at Covenant College. He netted 1,300 points in his final two seasons at Covenant and earned NAIA Division II All-America honors as a senior – when he supplied a strong 26.0 points per game.

Prior to his head coaching experience, Luther was an assistant coach at Mercer (2001-2007).

Gardner-Webb is poised for another outstanding season, looking to build on its recent success in 2017-2018. The Runnin' Bulldogs return 11 of 13 scholarship players from last season, along with 65 percent of the scoring and rebounding production.