Bill Armstrong

Bill Armstrong (born November 18, 1977) is an American college basketball coach who has been head coach of the McNeese State Cowboys since 2025. He played college basketball at UAB and has served as an assistant coach for Chipola College, Birmingham–Southern, Ole Miss, LSU and Baylor. He was also head coach at Link Academy (Missouri).

Early life Armstrong was born on November 18, 1977, and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Oneonta High School where he played basketball, averaging 19.7 points as a senior while being named all-state. He helped the UAB Blazers reach the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1998 and the NCAA Tournament in 1999, while Armstrong served as team captain as a senior. He graduated from UAB in 2001 with a degree in justice sciences. After three years at Birmingham–Southern, he joined the Ole Miss Rebels in 2006 as coordinator of basketball operations. He served 11 seasons with the Rebels, his last six as an assistant coach, before leaving to join the LSU Tigers as an assistant in 2017. On June 22, 2023, Armstrong was found not guilty of all alleged recruiting violations by the IARP (Independent Accountability Resolution Process). The IARP noted, "He had a pristine infractions history, having never been charged with any NCAA legislation violations in his coaching career from 2001 until now." and that he was highly credible.

Armstrong served as head coach of Link Academy from 2022 to 2024, leading them to the 2023 national championship and coaching future first-round National Basketball Association (NBA) draft pick Ja'Kobe Walter. He served as an assistant coach for the Baylor Bears from 2024 to 2025 before being announced as the new head coach of the McNeese Cowboys in March 2025.

Head coaching record