Sean Patrick Sutton (born October 4, 1968) is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the advisor to the head men's basketball coach at Texas Tech University. Sutton served as the head men's basketball coach Oklahoma State University–Stillwater from 2006 to 2008. As a college player and coach, Sutton has been part of over 400 victories, with 391 coming as a coach. As of April 2012, Sean has 39 wins as a head coach at Oklahoma State and 352 as an assistant coach at Mississippi, Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts. In 22 seasons, Sutton has played or coached in 23 NCAA Tournament victories. Oklahoma State advanced to the Final Four in 1995 and 2004 while Sutton was an assistant coach. Also, in 22 seasons as a player or coach, Sutton's teams have participated in postseason play 19 times.
Sean is one of three sons of college basketball coach Eddie Sutton. Sean's youngest brother Scott, formerly the men's basketball head coach at Oral Roberts University, is now an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.
Playing career
Sutton was a two time letterwinner at the University of Kentucky before sitting out the 1989-90 season. In 1990, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University and was an instant starter for the Cowboys. As a point guard, he led Oklahoma State to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 1991 and 1992. Sutton became the only player in OSU history to have advanced to three Sweet 16 appearances in his playing career with two trips as a Cowboy and one as a Wildcat.
During Sutton's two-year playing career at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys posted a 52-16 record and won a regular-season conference title. The Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls during his senior season and won the Preseason NIT.
Sutton earned honorable mention All-Big Eight accolades as both a junior and a senior and made the All-District V team in 1992. Despite playing just two seasons at OSU, Sutton etched his name in the Cowboy record book several times. He is ranked 12th on the career assists list with 291 and first in career three-point percentage at 44.5 percent.
On the season listings, Sutton's 167 assists in 1992 rank seventh, while his 124 assists in 1991 are listed 19th. He averaged 10.2 points as a junior in 1990-91 and 11.7 points, second on the team behind only Byron Houston, as a senior. Sutton is the only player in OSU history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in the same game; he tallied 21 points and 11 assists against Centenary on December 5, 1990.
Coaching career
Sutton began his coaching career on the staff of Rob Evans at the University of Mississippi during the 1992-93 season. After that season, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach to replace Bill Self, who left to become the head coach at Oral Roberts University. In 1995, Oklahoma State reached the Final Four for the first time since 1951. Sean was named associate head coach at OSU on August 3, 2000. In April 2005, the OSU recruiting class was ranked the best in the country by Rivals.com. According to the website, "future Cowboy head coach Sean Sutton did his father proud this year by landing the nation's No. 1 player Gerald Green to go along with fellow five-star point guard Byron Eaton and Roderick Fleming."
Eddie Sutton was involved in a car accident on February 10, 2006. Oklahoma State announced on February 13, 2006, the 69-year-old Sutton would take medical leave following his DUI accident and that Sean will finish the remainder of the season as coach. On May 19, 2006, Eddie Sutton announced his retirement as head coach and designated his son, Sean, to become the official men's basketball head coach on June 30, 2006. Sean would coach the next two seasons, compiling 22–13 and 17–16 overall records, respectively, and losing in the first round of the NIT both seasons. On April 1, 2008, Sutton resigned under pressure as head coach of OSU with a record of 39-29. Athletic Director Mike Holder said Sean was a "victim of high expectations." Sean was two years into a five-year contract worth $750,000 a year that he had agreed to when he was still an assistant on his father's staff. It called for him to be the head coach-designate, meaning he would take over when his father left. A source told Doug Gottlieb that Sean would be paid for the remaining three years of the deal. Travis Ford, formerly the coach at UMass was hired as a replacement.