Men's Basketball
Yaphett King
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- yaphett-king@utulsa.edu
Yaphett King was named to The University of Tulsa basketball coaching staff in April 2022, reuniting with Head Coach Eric Konkol. King coached at Louisiana Tech under Konkol before coaching three seasons at SMU.
In 2025-26, Tulsa won 30 games, the second largest increase in wins over last season in the country, and finished 51st in the NET, the program’s highest final ranking and the largest jump in final NET from the previous year.
Tulsa’s offense jumped into the top 25 in the country as one of the best shooting squads in the country. They became the first program in American Conference history to lead the league in field goal (.467), three-point (.380), and free throw (.780) percentage in the same season. The team’s 399 threes shattered the program and conference record for a single season and are the 17th most makes in NCAA history.
David Green, Miles Barnstable, and Tylen Riley all were named All-Conference by the American, giving the Golden Hurricane a trio of All-Conference players for the first time since 2002-03. The team finished third in league play after being picked eighth in the preseason poll.
TU won 13 games in 2024-25, including the first regular season sweep of Wichita State since 1995-96 and first win in Charles Koch Arena since 2001. Since his arrival in Tulsa, King has been an integral part in rebuilding the Golden Hurricane basketball program, improving 11 victories from year one to year two. Tulsa posted a 16-15 overall record with seven American Athletic Conference wins in the 2023-24 season.
At Tulsa, King has helped coach National Freshman of the Year and The American Freshman of the Year PJ Haggerty, as well as two all-conference selections, Haggerty and Dwon Odom, and four all-freshman honorees in Ian Smikle, Matt Reed, Tyshawn Archie and Haggerty.
Before coming to Tulsa, King was an assistant coach at SMU for three years (2020-22). He joined the Mustangs after his three seasons (2016-19) at Ruston, Louisiana, with LA Tech.
At SMU, King was a part of three Mustang teams that posted an overall 54-26 record with a 38-5 home mark at Moody Coliseum. In that span, SMU registered three AP top-20 wins, won the 2019-20 Southwestern Showdown Championship, made the NIT in 2021 and 2022, had seven American Athletic Conference selections, including the 2021-22 AAC Player of the Year in Kendric Davis.
Before that, King coached three seasons with Konkol at LA Tech, helping the Bulldogs post two consecutive seasons 20-win seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. The 2016-17 season saw LA Tech post a 23-10 record while winning the 2017-18 Cancun Challenge and the New Orleans Shootout. Five players earned C-USA postseason awards during his time with the Bulldogs.
Prior joining LA Tech, King was an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for four seasons (2012-16). The team improved dramatically during his tenure, winning 20 games in 2014-15 and 25 games in 2015-16. The Islanders earned a CIT bid in each of his final three seasons at the school.
Prior to joining the Islanders, King spent four years (2008-12) as head coach at Redlands Community College where he led the squad to 72 wins, highlighted by a 21-win season and a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament in 2010-11.
King began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Redlands CC in 2006-07, when the team went 31-2 enroute to the NJCAA regional final. The following year (2007-08) he joined Cowley College (Kan.) as an assistant coach, helping the Tigers compile a 31-2 overall mark and an appearance in the NJCAA regional championship game.
On the court, King was an NJCAA All-American as a freshman at Redlands CC in 2001-02 while leading the team to the NJCAA Division II national title. He went on to play at Cal State Fullerton where, as a senior, he helped lead the Titans to a 21-11 record and the NIT quarterfinals with road wins over Oregon State and San Francisco before falling to Georgetown. It was the first postseason appearance for Cal Fullerton in 15 years.
King went on to play professionally in Austria for two years.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, King and his wife, Charlena, have two children, Caydance and Yarrah.
In 2025-26, Tulsa won 30 games, the second largest increase in wins over last season in the country, and finished 51st in the NET, the program’s highest final ranking and the largest jump in final NET from the previous year.
Tulsa’s offense jumped into the top 25 in the country as one of the best shooting squads in the country. They became the first program in American Conference history to lead the league in field goal (.467), three-point (.380), and free throw (.780) percentage in the same season. The team’s 399 threes shattered the program and conference record for a single season and are the 17th most makes in NCAA history.
David Green, Miles Barnstable, and Tylen Riley all were named All-Conference by the American, giving the Golden Hurricane a trio of All-Conference players for the first time since 2002-03. The team finished third in league play after being picked eighth in the preseason poll.
TU won 13 games in 2024-25, including the first regular season sweep of Wichita State since 1995-96 and first win in Charles Koch Arena since 2001. Since his arrival in Tulsa, King has been an integral part in rebuilding the Golden Hurricane basketball program, improving 11 victories from year one to year two. Tulsa posted a 16-15 overall record with seven American Athletic Conference wins in the 2023-24 season.
At Tulsa, King has helped coach National Freshman of the Year and The American Freshman of the Year PJ Haggerty, as well as two all-conference selections, Haggerty and Dwon Odom, and four all-freshman honorees in Ian Smikle, Matt Reed, Tyshawn Archie and Haggerty.
Before coming to Tulsa, King was an assistant coach at SMU for three years (2020-22). He joined the Mustangs after his three seasons (2016-19) at Ruston, Louisiana, with LA Tech.
At SMU, King was a part of three Mustang teams that posted an overall 54-26 record with a 38-5 home mark at Moody Coliseum. In that span, SMU registered three AP top-20 wins, won the 2019-20 Southwestern Showdown Championship, made the NIT in 2021 and 2022, had seven American Athletic Conference selections, including the 2021-22 AAC Player of the Year in Kendric Davis.
Before that, King coached three seasons with Konkol at LA Tech, helping the Bulldogs post two consecutive seasons 20-win seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. The 2016-17 season saw LA Tech post a 23-10 record while winning the 2017-18 Cancun Challenge and the New Orleans Shootout. Five players earned C-USA postseason awards during his time with the Bulldogs.
Prior joining LA Tech, King was an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for four seasons (2012-16). The team improved dramatically during his tenure, winning 20 games in 2014-15 and 25 games in 2015-16. The Islanders earned a CIT bid in each of his final three seasons at the school.
Prior to joining the Islanders, King spent four years (2008-12) as head coach at Redlands Community College where he led the squad to 72 wins, highlighted by a 21-win season and a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament in 2010-11.
King began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Redlands CC in 2006-07, when the team went 31-2 enroute to the NJCAA regional final. The following year (2007-08) he joined Cowley College (Kan.) as an assistant coach, helping the Tigers compile a 31-2 overall mark and an appearance in the NJCAA regional championship game.
On the court, King was an NJCAA All-American as a freshman at Redlands CC in 2001-02 while leading the team to the NJCAA Division II national title. He went on to play at Cal State Fullerton where, as a senior, he helped lead the Titans to a 21-11 record and the NIT quarterfinals with road wins over Oregon State and San Francisco before falling to Georgetown. It was the first postseason appearance for Cal Fullerton in 15 years.
King went on to play professionally in Austria for two years.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, King and his wife, Charlena, have two children, Caydance and Yarrah.
| Year | School | Position |
| 2006-07 | Redlands College | Assistant Coach |
| 2007-08 | Cowley Community College. | Assistant Coach |
| 2008-12 | Redlands College | Head Coach |
| 2012-16 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | Assistant Coach |
| 2016-19 | LA Tech | Assistant Coach |
| 2019-22 | SMU | Assistant Coach |
| 2022-pres. | Tulsa | Assistant Coach |
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