South Alabama basketball adds veteran assistant coach John Aiken
Aiken was head coach for 2 years at McNeese, most recently worked on UT Martin staff
Olivia Bennett 
South Alabama basketball head coach Richie Riley has completed his staff overhaul by bringing on veteran coach John Aiken to fill the final assistant vacancy.
A Wealth of Experience
Aiken, 44, brings two decades of collegiate coaching expertise to Mobile. His resume includes head coaching stints at Belhaven from 2012 to 2014 and McNeese State from 2021 to 2023. Beyond his time as a head coach, the Maine native has held assistant roles at the University of New England, Belhaven, McNeese, Nicholls, and most recently, UT Martin, where he spent the last two seasons.
The reunion between Riley and Aiken is a significant one. "John and I go back 10 plus years in this profession," Riley said. "He was instrumental in our success at Nicholls and is an excellent ball coach. His ability to connect with people and his organized mentality is incredible. He will be a major asset for our program."
A New Look for the Jaguars
Aiken completes a busy offseason for the Jags, joining fellow new additions John Rutledge and Will Braden on the bench. Orin Bailey Jr. is the lone returnee from last year's staff, which lost Rodney Crawford to Marquette, Riley Conroy to Furman, and Ogi Vasiljevic to North Carolina State.
The Jaguars aim to build on their 2025-26 campaign, where the team posted a 22-12 record and secured a spot in the NIT, ultimately falling to Auburn in the opening round.
