Tim McGraw enters his fourth season as a member of Talvin Hester's staff, serving as assistant coach (special assistant to the head coach) at Louisiana Tech.
McGraw has been part of back-to-back 20-win seasons, including the 2024-25 campaign that saw the Bulldogs get off to a scorching 7-0 start, the program's best in 40 years. The non-conference slate also included the capture of the Gulf Coast Showcase championship, earning victories over Southern Illinois, Richmond, and Eastern Kentucky, as well as a marquee win against WAC Tournament champion Grand Canyon in the WAC/CUSA Challenge.
McGraw was part of a 22-win campaign in year two at LA Tech. The Bulldogs went 12-4 in CUSA play, finishing second in the league. It was a 7-win improvement from year one in which LA Tech went 15-18 as a team.
The veteran coach has more than 30 years of coaching experience ranging from junior high school through the professional level, culminating in being inducted into the National Junior College Athlete Association (NJCAA) Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2021.
He capped off his 25th year as head coach at Dallas College-North Lake in 2022, leading the Blazers to an 83-80 overtime victory over Genesee (NY) to claim the 2022 NJCAA DIII national title, his fourth at the helm and in school history. As a result, he was named the NJCAA DIII National Coach of the Year.
Prior to that season, McGraw led the Blazers to national titles in 2006, 2008 and in 2017 when they upset the No. 4, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, ultimately defeating Elgin (IL) by a final score of 66-56 to win it all.
All four times Dallas College-North Lake took home the championship, McGraw was selected as the NJCAA DIII National Coach of the Year. His other accolades include 2000 and 2007 NJCAA DIII District III Coach of the Year and 1988 Arkansas Juco Conference Coach of the Year.
The Blazers also placed sixth in the national tournament in 2018, fourth in 2007 and fourth in 2000. The program won six conference titles as members of the Metro Athletic Conference as well as a Dallas Athletic Conference championship this past season.
Prior to North Lake, McGraw was the head coach at Southern Baptist (AR) from 1986-89. Other coaching stops included Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Arkansas and Texas Christian Academy, Christian Temple School and Boles Junior High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
McGraw played collegiate basketball at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1980. He also earned a Master’s of Education Sports Management from the University of Arkansas.
He played on four Christian missionary tours, which took him to the Philippines, Germany, Austria, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.
