Head Men's Basketball Coach
Email: jtburton@tusculum.edu
Direct Line: 423-636-0575
Campus Phone: 5575
Campus Mail: P.O. 5073
Office: Rankin 103
Department: Athletics
Campus or Site Location: Greeneville
James Tyler “J.T.” Burton was named the men’s basketball coach at Tusculum University on March 21, 2018 becoming the 28th coach at Tennessee’s most historic university and the seventh head coach during the NCAA Division II era of the program.
Since his arrival, Burton has orchestrated six straight winning campaigns while finishing in the top-five in the South Atlantic Conference standings in each season. He has amassed a 98-64 record including a 79-41 SAC worksheet. He led the Pioneers to back-to-back trips to the SAC Semifinals in 2020 and 2021 and earned the team its first NCAA Tournament berth in 2021 (first since 2009 and third in program history). His 2023 club won six in a row to advance to the SAC semifinal round for a third time in four years.
The Pioneers went 14-6 overall and 12-4 in conference play during the COVID shortened 2020-21 season. Coach Burton guided TU to a third-place finish in the regular season standings and earned the No. 2 seed in the SAC Tournament where they advanced to the semifinal round. TU won its final six regular-season contests and parlayed their strong finish into a NCAA at-large bid. In a perfect 5-0 February, Tusculum posted an impressive 90-74 win over eighth-ranked and eventual NCAA national runner-up Lincoln Memorial.
In the NCAA Tournament, Burton sparked the Pioneers to their first NCAA postseason victory with a 65-63 overtime win over 23rd-ranked Carson-Newman. Leading the charge for the Pioneers was SAC Player of the Year Trenton Gibson. Gibson was named to the NABC All-District first team and earned All-SAC honors for a third straight year. Gibson was also tabbed the SAC Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to earn the sport’s top-two awards in the same season. Gibson was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team and was the 2020-21 recipient of the SAC President’s Award, the league’s highest student-athlete honor.
In 2021-22, the Pioneers established a new school record with 19 conference victories as Tusculum finished third in the South Atlantic Conference. TU went 19-8 overall, despite starting the season 0-2. TU went an amazing 19-5 in SAC play which included a six-game winning streak and a pair of five-game winning streaks. TU also went 10-3 on the road which included an 81-74 victory at No. 4 Queens. Gibson and super sophomore Inady Legiste earned All-SAC honors that year.
In 2022-23, Tusculum posted a 16-11 record while facing one of the toughest schedules in the country, which included four teams which advanced to the NCAA Tournament. TU ended the regular-season with a five-game winning streak to finish runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division and earn the right to host a SAC Quarterfinal game for a fifth straight year. Tusculum recorded wins against SAC Divisional winners Lincoln Memorial and Catawba as well as Peach Belt Conference co-champion USC Aiken. On Jan. 25, 2023, Tusculum defeated third-ranked Lincoln Memorial, 80-78, the highest ranked opponent to fall at the hands of the Pioneers.
In his first season in 2018-19, Burton led the Pioneers to a 16-13 overall record and a 12-8 mark in conference, a 10-game improvement from the previous season. Tusculum hosted its first SAC Championship quarterfinal game since 2010 and snapped a 24-game losing streak to perennial SAC power Lincoln Memorial. The Pioneers earned season sweeps of Carson-Newman, Wingate and Newberry and won three overtime games in a span of two weeks at midseason. Tusculum finished the regular season strong, winning its final six games to grab a share of fourth place in the final conference standings.
During the 2019-20 season, Tusculum accounted for its second straight top-four finish in the conference and hosted a SAC Championship quarterfinal in consecutive season. TU posted an 86-65 win over Anderson University in the SAC quarterfinal to advanced to the semifinal round for the first time in nine years. Defense and rebounding were what the Pioneers hung their hats on. Tusculum led the league in turnovers forced, steals, rebounds per game, fewest rebounds allowed per game, rebound margin and offensive rebounds per game. TU also finished second in the SAC in scoring defense and blocked shots per game.
Burton has over 20 years of basketball coaching experience, including 11 years as a collegiate head coach. His basketball journey has included NCAA Division I stops at the University of Tennessee as director of player development for the men’s basketball program in 2014-15 and most recently as an assistant coach at Morehead State University for the 2017-18 season.
As a collegiate head coach, Burton has amassed 248 victories which includes five 20-win campaigns, four national postseason appearances and two trips to the national quarterfinals. He has proven himself to be an outstanding recruiter and teacher, mentoring numerous student-athletes who have earned All-Conference, All-Region and All-America distinction along with several All-Academic honorees.
Burton coached two seasons at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tennessee where he led the Bucks to an impressive 55-13 record. In 2016, he coached Motlow State to a 25-7 record and finished runner-up in both the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) and the NJCAA Region XII Tournament. In 2017, he guided the Bucks to a 30-6 campaign while sweeping the Region XII regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NJCAA Elite Eight. For his efforts, he was named the Region XII Coach of the Year.
He spent a successful six-year run as head coach at St. Catharine College in his native Springfield, Kentucky where he compiled a 95-80 worksheet. During his coaching tenure, St. Catharine transitioned from a two-year to a four-year institution, playing on the NAIA level and were members of the Mid-South Conference.
Burton served as an assistant coach at St. Catharine during the 2007-08 season and was promoted to the head coaching post the following year. He was named the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2011 after the Patriots went 24-10 and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. Burton led St. Catharine to three 20-win seasons as the Patriots made another NAIA Tournament appearance in 2014, advancing to the national quarterfinals.
Burton played collegiately at St. Catharine for two seasons and was a member of the Patriots’ 30-5 squad which advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in school history.
Burton earned his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan in 1999 and his master’s degree from Campbellsville (Ky.) University in 2005.
He and his wife, Carla, have two daughters, Alexis and Jada.