Orin Bailey Jr. joined the University of South Alabama men’s basketball staff in May 2022. Since his arrival, he has played an important role in the program’s growth, including its 2024–25 Sun Belt Conference regular-season title which was the program’s first since 2008.
The Jaguars were picked to finish 11th in the 2024–25 Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll but went on to record a 21-11 overall mark, the most regular-season wins by the program since 2008. South Alabama also picked up four victories over teams ranked in the top 150 of the NCAA NET rankings.
South Alabama ranked among the nation’s best defensively. The team finished sixth in field-goal percentage defense (.384), 17th in scoring defense (64.3 points per game), and 15th in steals per game (9.3). South Alabama also ranked in the top 10 nationally in fouls per game (13.3), turnover margin (+4.9), turnovers per game (9.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.59). The Jaguars led the Sun Belt in each of those categories and recorded four league wins by 25 points or more, the most in a season since 1998–99.
During the 2023–24 season, South Alabama won six of its final eight games and earned the No. 8 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. Bailey was involved in the development of 1,000-point scorer Samuel Tabe and guard Julian Margrave. Tabe was named Sun Belt Player of the Week on Feb. 26 after scoring 35 points against Arkansas State, the highest single-game total in the conference that season. Margrave ranked seventh in the Sun Belt in three-pointers made (51).
In 2022–23, Bailey helped recruit and develop center Kevin Samuel, who went on to earn Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors. Samuel became the first South Alabama player to win the award since its creation in 1996.
Bailey has more than 15 years of coaching experience at multiple levels and is recognized as both a teacher of the game and a strong evaluator of talent.
Before joining South Alabama, Bailey spent the 2021–22 season at Florida Gulf Coast University. He helped the Eagles win 22 games — the third-most in program history, while setting a school record for non-conference wins and earning a postseason berth. He recruited Samuel, who also won Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, and helped sign the highest-rated high school class in FGCU history, which included the ASUN Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to his time at FGCU, Bailey spent nearly two decades in Houston, Texas, as a youth basketball program director and educator. As director of All 4 Sports, he coached and managed basketball operations and organized showcase events, including the Texas Elite 8 and Unsigned Senior Showcase. His efforts helped more than 300 student-athletes earn college scholarships.
In 2014, Bailey served as head coach of the Lone Star Strikers in the International Basketball League (IBL).
