Billy Garrett

Billy Garrett joined the Wildcats coaching staff in 2021.

He previously served as Director of Basketball Operations at DePaul from 2017 through 2020, handling administrative duties and on-campus recruiting for the program.

Prior to his time in operations, In his eight seasons as an assistant coach in Lincoln Park, Garrett re-established Chicago recruiting roots for the Blue Demons. On the floor, Garrett assisted in the daily development of the roster including BIG EAST Rookies of the Year Cleveland Melvin and Billy Garrett Jr. and BIG EAST All-Rookie Team honoree Tommy Hamilton IV and Brandon Young.

In his first season on Dave Leitao's staff, Garrett assisted Leitao in laying the foundation for sustained future success in the program. The Blue Demons recorded a pair of wins over ranked opponents including DePaul's highest-ranked win since Dec. 2006 with a victory over No. 11 Providence in February. The 21-point win over No. 20 George Washington was the largest margin of victory in program history by an unranked DePaul team over a ranked opponent. Off the court, the team placed an impressive 11 players on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and was honored with the NABC's Team Academic Excellence Award. Individually, Eli Cain was named to the BIG EAST’s All-Freshman Team.

The 2011-12 campaign saw continued improvement as the Blue Demons trended upward in victories, points per game and steals per game. DePaul's 74.1 scoring average was its highest mark since the 1994-95 season while the 7.9 steals per game were the most since the 2002-03 campaign. DePaul put together the longest winning streak in nearly a decade in 2012-13 and increased its steal total to 8.3 per game. The 2013-14 season saw Billy Garrett Jr. earn the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year award as the Blue Demons finish the season strong by knocking off Georgetown in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

Before moving to DePaul's Lincoln Park campus in 2009, Garrett was the associate head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for two seasons. Prior to joining the Islanders in May 2007, he was an assistant at Iowa (2006-07), Seton Hall (2001-06) and Siena (2000-01).

Following his first collegiate stop with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship at Siena, Garrett spent five seasons at BIG EAST member Seton Hall. He made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one appearance in the NIT with the Pirates.

Garrett joined the Iowa staff during the 2006-07 campaign and was briefly on the staff at New Mexico before accepting the associate head coach position at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

He started his coaching career in Chicago as head basketball coach at Providence St. Mel High School from 1994-00. Garrett was also athletic director and head track and field coach while leading the basketball program to a 130-50 record in his six seasons. He was a four-time District Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and led Providence St. Mel to four regional titles.

At Providence St. Mel, he tutored former DePaul player LeVar Seals and also coached Steven Hunter while directing the Illinois Fire AAU program. Garrett coached in the Illinois Fire program from 1994-00 and also served as a coach at the ABCD Camp from 1996-00 and was a coach at the adidas International Basketball Camp in Beijing, China in 2004.

The native of Indianapolis, Ind., earned his degree from the University of Indianapolis in 1991 after playing four seasons of football at Illinois State. Garrett and his wife, Annissa, have one son, Billy. Billy was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2014 and the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017. He finished his DePaul career ranked among all-time leaders in scoring, free throws and assists. He arrived at DePaul after a standout career at Morgan Park High School where he led the Mustangs to a state title as a senior. Billy played in the NBA G-League during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons for the Westchester Knicks. He finshed the 2018-19 season with his NBA debut as a member of the New York Knicks.

Garrett's father, Bill Garrett, is recognized as the first African-American basketball player in the Big Ten Conference. He played at Indiana for three seasons and finished his collegiate career in 1951 as the program's all-time leading scorer. The All-American at Indiana was drafted by the Boston Celtics and he also played with the Harlem Globetrotters before becoming a Hall of Fame high school coach in Indiana.Skip Ad