Mark Rutledge joined the South Alabama men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in June 2026 after serving as the head coach at Southern Arkansas University.
Rutledge brings nearly a decade of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division II level, with a résumé that includes multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, conference championships, and the development of numerous all-conference and all-region performers throughout the Great American Conference and Lone Star Conference.
At Southern Arkansas, Rutledge guided the Muleriders to success on and off the court, producing four All-Great American Conference selections, one All-GAC Honorable Mention selection, and multiple academic award winners. During his tenure, Southern Arkansas led the Great American Conference in three-point percentage and developed the league's individual leader in three-point percentage. The program also finished as the nation's leader in NCAA Division II community service initiatives in back-to-back years.
Before Southern Arkansas, Rutledge spent two seasons at Angelo State University, including his final season as associate head coach. He helped lead the Rams to consecutive NCAA South Central Regional appearances and a combined 45-18 record. In 2022-23, Angelo State finished 26-7, advanced to the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship game, and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2016. The Rams climbed as high as No. 10 in the national rankings during his tenure, their highest ranking since 2017.
Prior to Angelo State, Rutledge spent four seasons at Henderson State University under head coach Jimmy Elgas, serving as associate head coach during his final two seasons. He helped guide the Reddies to the 2019-20 Great American Conference Tournament Championship and an NCAA Central Regional appearance. Henderson State led the conference in defensive field goal percentage for three consecutive seasons from 2019-22.
Before entering coaching, Rutledge played collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas from 2010-12, starting 56 of 57 games during his two-year career with the Bears. He averaged 8.7 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field. Prior to Central Arkansas, he earned Second Team All-Region and all-conference honors at Connors State College.
Following his collegiate career, Rutledge played professionally with the Battle Creek Knights of the Independent Basketball Association before continuing overseas with Shqiponja Tirana of the Albanian Superliga.
Rutledge earned a bachelor's degree in health education from Central Arkansas and a master's degree in sports administration from Henderson State.
He and his wife, Monica, have three children: Elijah, Saniyah, and Hezekiah.
