AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Joe Scott is back.
The former Air Force Academy men's basketball head coach is the man in charge once again – after more than a decade away.
Scott spoke with reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon and discussed returning to the academy after 16 years.
"I was a 34-year-old head coach and it was 2000. Now, I don't even want to say the number, I'm 54, and it's 2020," Scott said.
He was the head coach at Air Force from 2001-2004, leading the Falcons to the NCAA tournament in his final season. He then was the head coach at Princeton from 2004-2007 and the University of Denver from 2007-2016. Scott has been an assistant coach for the last several seasons, most recently at the University of Georgia.
"I've been fortunate to have the experience I've had three different times (as a head coach) and now a fourth. Becoming a veteran assistant coach over the last four years was unbelievably beneficial in my continued development," Scott said.
In terms of his goals for the program, one that went 12-20 a season ago, Scott is looking to bring back buzz around the team.
"We're going to build a successful program. We're going to re-energize Air Force basketball and I feel really strongly about that," Scott said.
As far as coming back to Colorado, a place Scott and his family know well, that could be the best part of the new (old?) gig.
"What excites me the most, first and foremost, is the people and the place. It's led me and my family back here for a reason. The academy stands for so many special things that we believe in. We've always looked back on our time here as special. We don't think Air Force is a special place, we know Air Force is a special place," Scott said.
