Paul Lusk

Paul Lusk (born November 14, 1971) is an American basketball head coach. A former assistant coach at Purdue under Matt Painter, he was introduced as the new coach at Missouri State University on Friday, April 1, 2011. He was hired to replace Cuonzo Martin after he left for the head coaching position at Tennessee.

Playing career

A native of New Baden, Illinois, Lusk played high school basketball at Trenton (Wesclin) high school, leading the Warriors to the 1990 Class A state title with an 83-78, 2OT win over top-ranked Fairbury (Prairie Central). Lusk originally committed to the University of Iowa, but suffered a broken leg in his freshman year with the Hawkeyes and later transferred to Southern Illinois University where he played under longtime head coach Rich Herrin.

Coaching career

Purdue

Lusk was an assistant at Purdue University from 2004-11 under legendary coach Gene Keady and Matt Painter. From 2004-08, Lusk was on the staff along with longtime friend, Cuonzo Martin, who he would eventually succeed at Missouri State.