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LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the very start of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the head coach getting the most buzz is the man helming the Alabama State Hornets as his team etched itself into March Madness lore Tuesday evening.
Tony Madlock coached Alabama State basketball through the first game of March Madness, a 16-seed First Four play-in game against Saint Francis in Dayton, Ohio.
Both the Hornets and the Friars came into March on a tear. Each were winners of their past six games, and each was searching for its first NCAA Tournament victory. That went to the Hornets, and it arrived in March's typical fashion.
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The game tied with 3.4 seconds remaining, Alabama State's Micah Simpson oversaw the final possession, heaving a court-long pass from the opposite baseline to the Alabama State basket. It came down near the free throw line, bobbled briefly into the possession of forward TJ Madlock — Tony Madlock's son —then into the hands of Amarr Knox, who put up a last-second go-ahead make.
The 70-68 win gave Alabama State the NCAA Tournament win that eluded it in four previous tries. It also put the elder Madlock into some program history as he became the first coach since 2009 to notch a 20-win season.
It also gave ASU a two-hour bus ride to Lexington, where Madlock is in for a reunion. His Hornets advanced to play Auburn basketball, the No. 1 overall seed in this year's field. Madlock spent four seasons 55 miles east of Montgomery as an assistant on Tony Barbee's Auburn staff, coaching the Tigers before the dawn of the Bruce Pearl era.
This is the story of Madlock — the moment's most-known college basketball coach — and his time on the Plains.
Madlock doesn't shy away from the biggest fact of his time at Auburn.
Under Barbee, the Tigers were a combined 49-75. They never won a postseason game, be it SEC Tournament, NCAA Tournament or NIT.
"We didn't get the job done there," Madlock told the Montgomery Advertiser. "We were there for four years, and we didn't finish it like we wanted to. But we had an amazing time, man. I met a lot of people, and it has helped my career just because it was my first stop in the SEC."
Madlock isn't the only one with fond memories. Randall Dickey, Auburn basketball's radio analyst, was an assistant alongside Madlock, as both followed Barbee from UTEP.
"He's got an unbelievable personality," Dickey told the Advertiser. "Very outgoing, very kind and considerate to his fellow man."
Dickey's children grew up alongside Madlock's in El Paso, Dickey said, and for the Alabama State coach, his children were part of why he's fond of his time on the Plains. Tony said Auburn is where his son TJ's basketball journey took flight, playing travel ball for the Auburn Raptors, an AAU team based in the city.
Now TJ, a senior at Alabama State, has helped the Hornets get here. He's one of the team's three leading scorers and its leading rebounder.
Just because the elder Madlock's a decade-plus removed from his time with the Tigers doesn't mean the memories have faded. If anything, they're in clearer view than ever as he coaches up the road.
"I have a lot of friends that are still in Auburn," Tony said. "You know, you have to drive through Auburn, because when you're flying out, you're going through Atlanta. You've always got to go through Auburn, so as you're driving through there and going out, (you see) the exit I used to get off to go home. So, just a lot of good memories, man, from the city of Auburn."
The round of 64 matchup between Auburn and Alabama State came with an understated muteness.
It's an impressive feat for the state's college basketball landscape, as two of the four teams from Alabama in this year's field ended up facing each other. But Madlock previously coached against the Tigers. Just last season, Alabama State lost an early-season contest 82-62 at Neville Arena.
What's not understate-able is what getting here has done for Madlock and his program. He's the one coach in the program's 91-year history who has a win in March. He's also just the fourth to lead the Hornets to a 20-win season.
"The game has great karma about it as it comes back around," Dickey said. "We take it for granted, but very few coaches ... have the opportunity to coach in the NCAA Tournament. For him to do that — and I think this is his third year at Alabama State — that just shows his success, and it looks like the future will really be bright for his program."
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama State's Tony Madlock has fond memories of his time at Auburn
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Tony Madlock coached Alabama State basketball through the first game of March Madness, a 16-seed First Four play-in game against Saint Francis in Dayton, Ohio.
Both the Hornets and the Friars came into March on a tear. Each were winners of their past six games, and each was searching for its first NCAA Tournament victory. That went to the Hornets, and it arrived in March's typical fashion.
Ready to win March Madness? Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool today
The game tied with 3.4 seconds remaining, Alabama State's Micah Simpson oversaw the final possession, heaving a court-long pass from the opposite baseline to the Alabama State basket. It came down near the free throw line, bobbled briefly into the possession of forward TJ Madlock — Tony Madlock's son —then into the hands of Amarr Knox, who put up a last-second go-ahead make.
The 70-68 win gave Alabama State the NCAA Tournament win that eluded it in four previous tries. It also put the elder Madlock into some program history as he became the first coach since 2009 to notch a 20-win season.
It also gave ASU a two-hour bus ride to Lexington, where Madlock is in for a reunion. His Hornets advanced to play Auburn basketball, the No. 1 overall seed in this year's field. Madlock spent four seasons 55 miles east of Montgomery as an assistant on Tony Barbee's Auburn staff, coaching the Tigers before the dawn of the Bruce Pearl era.
This is the story of Madlock — the moment's most-known college basketball coach — and his time on the Plains.
Tony Madlock's time with Auburn basketball
Madlock doesn't shy away from the biggest fact of his time at Auburn.
Under Barbee, the Tigers were a combined 49-75. They never won a postseason game, be it SEC Tournament, NCAA Tournament or NIT.
"We didn't get the job done there," Madlock told the Montgomery Advertiser. "We were there for four years, and we didn't finish it like we wanted to. But we had an amazing time, man. I met a lot of people, and it has helped my career just because it was my first stop in the SEC."
Madlock isn't the only one with fond memories. Randall Dickey, Auburn basketball's radio analyst, was an assistant alongside Madlock, as both followed Barbee from UTEP.
"He's got an unbelievable personality," Dickey told the Advertiser. "Very outgoing, very kind and considerate to his fellow man."
Dickey's children grew up alongside Madlock's in El Paso, Dickey said, and for the Alabama State coach, his children were part of why he's fond of his time on the Plains. Tony said Auburn is where his son TJ's basketball journey took flight, playing travel ball for the Auburn Raptors, an AAU team based in the city.
Now TJ, a senior at Alabama State, has helped the Hornets get here. He's one of the team's three leading scorers and its leading rebounder.
Just because the elder Madlock's a decade-plus removed from his time with the Tigers doesn't mean the memories have faded. If anything, they're in clearer view than ever as he coaches up the road.
"I have a lot of friends that are still in Auburn," Tony said. "You know, you have to drive through Auburn, because when you're flying out, you're going through Atlanta. You've always got to go through Auburn, so as you're driving through there and going out, (you see) the exit I used to get off to go home. So, just a lot of good memories, man, from the city of Auburn."
The significance Alabama State basketball's win for Tony Madlock
The round of 64 matchup between Auburn and Alabama State came with an understated muteness.
It's an impressive feat for the state's college basketball landscape, as two of the four teams from Alabama in this year's field ended up facing each other. But Madlock previously coached against the Tigers. Just last season, Alabama State lost an early-season contest 82-62 at Neville Arena.
What's not understate-able is what getting here has done for Madlock and his program. He's the one coach in the program's 91-year history who has a win in March. He's also just the fourth to lead the Hornets to a 20-win season.
"The game has great karma about it as it comes back around," Dickey said. "We take it for granted, but very few coaches ... have the opportunity to coach in the NCAA Tournament. For him to do that — and I think this is his third year at Alabama State — that just shows his success, and it looks like the future will really be bright for his program."
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Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama State's Tony Madlock has fond memories of his time at Auburn
Continue reading...
