John Aiken joined the South Alabama men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in June 2026, reuniting with head coach Richie Riley after previously working together at Nicholls.
Aiken brings nearly 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Jaguars, including Division I stops at UT Martin, McNeese, and Nicholls. He joins South Alabama after spending the 2024-25 season at UT Martin, marking his second stint with the Skyhawks program.
Prior to his return to UT Martin, Aiken spent five seasons at McNeese, serving as associate head coach from 2018-21 before being elevated to head coach in 2021. During his tenure, he guided the Cowboys to their first Southland Conference Tournament victory since 2015 and a trip to the conference semifinals in 2023.
Aiken previously worked alongside South Alabama head coach Richie Riley at Nicholls from 2016 18. During that span, the Colonels won 35 games and captured the 2017-18 Southland Conference regular-season championship. Nicholls posted a 21-11 record that season while ranking among the national leaders in steals, turnovers forced, and scoring offense.
Before Nicholls, Aiken spent two seasons at UT Martin from 2014-16, helping engineer one of the largest turnarounds in NCAA Division I basketball. The Skyhawks improved by 13 wins during the 2014-15 season and earned back-to-back postseason appearances while recording the program's first four Division I postseason victories.
Prior to entering the Division I ranks, Aiken served as head coach at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss., for two seasons after spending four years as an assistant coach. He guided the Blazers to a NAIA Division I National Tournament appearance in 2013-14 and helped coach multiple all-conference and All-American performers during his tenure.
Aiken began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
A native of Portland, Maine, Aiken earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Southern Maine in 2008 and a master's degree in sports leadership from Belhaven in 2013.
Aiken has two children, Macrae and Gracie.
