Tony Madlock stepping down as Alabama State men's basketball coach
Alabama State men's basketball coach Tony Madlock announced that he's leaving the program.
The search for a new head coach for Alabama State men's basketball for the 2026-27 season will get underway as Tony Madlock announced Sunday, March 29, that he is leaving the program the university informed the Montgomery Advertiser. Madlock is set to take the associate head coaching position at Memphis with former college teammate Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway . It will be the second stint at Memphis for Madlock, as he previously coached under Hardaway in 2018-21.
Over the course of four seasons with the Hornets , Madlock compiled a 51-80 record, with his shining moment coming in the 2024-25 season when he won the SWAC tournament and led Alabama State to the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets won the program's first ever NCAA Tournament game, in a last second Hail Mary play to defeat St. Francis in the First Four round.
The 2024-25 season was the only year that Madlock turned in a winning season as Alabama State's head coach. After graduating a lot of its talent from the 2024-25 team, the young Hornet team of 2025-26 couldn't overcome the growing pains to be competitive in the SWAC this season. Alabama State finished the season at 10-22, and 7-11 in conference play.
The Hornets lost to Alcorn State in the first round of the SWAC tournament, finishing 10th in the SWAC. The Hornets ranked near the bottom in major offensive statistical categories in the SWAC, while being in the middle when it comes to defensive statistics in the conference. Jaeden Day covers high school sports, Alabama State football and Auburn recruiting for the Montgomery Advertiser/USA Today.