Men's Basketball
Justus, Joel
Joel Justus
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
Joel Justus joined the Ohio State program and Jake Diebler’s staff in April of 2024 and serves as the associate head coach. Justus spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at NC State.
In his first season at Ohio State, Justus helped the Buckeyes to a 17-15 overall record and the edge of the NCAA Tournament. Primarily running the offense, Justus guided the team to 78.8 points per game and 261 three-pointers made, which was tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history. Bruce Thornton earned second team All-Big Ten honors while averaging a career-best 17.7 points per game. He had three 30-point games, including one in the win over No. 4 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. Thornton led four Buckeyes who averaged 13.0 points or more during the 2024-25 season.
Justus and the Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons, including a magical run to Final Four during the 2023-24 season. NC State also won the ACC Tournament in Justus’s last season. Working with the guards, Justus helped guide Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith to earning All-ACC honors and helped turn Casey Morsell into one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the conference during the 2022-23 season.
Prior to NC State, he spent one season on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State, where he worked with former Buckeyes Alonzo Gaffney and Luther Muhammad. Prior to ASU, Justus spent seven seasons on Kentucky’s basketball staff, including the last five as an assistant coach.
Justus joined Kentucky’s staff prior to the 2014-15 season as the director of analytics. Using his analytics, Kentucky's players bought in to a two-platoon system that helped the Wildcats become one of the most efficient teams in the country, including the most dominant defensive team in recent history, as UK became the first team in college basketball history to start a season 38-0.
He was elevated to special assistant to the head coach for the 2015-16 season. With his previous responsibilities remaining an active part of his duties, Justus' role expanded to include scouting future opponents, providing strategies to help advance the program and assisting with special projects assigned by John Calipari.
In his first season as an assistant coach, Kentucky won both the SEC regular-season and tournament championships while advancing to the Elite Eight. He played a key part in securing what the Recruiting Services Consensus Index calculates as the best recruiting class ever in 2017 and the No. 1 class in 2020.
In 2017-18, he was instrumental in the development of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, into the SEC Tournament's most valuable player as UK won its fourth straight tournament championship.
During the 2018-19 season, as Kentucky advanced to another Elite Eight, Justus played a key part in the development of SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Ashton Hagans. He also worked closely with NBA first-round picks Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro. Justus played a similar role with 2020 SEC Player of this Year Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey, both first-round picks.
Justus helped Kentucky to another Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2020 and was a key part in what many tabbed as the best recruiting class in the country in 2020. Highlighted as one of the top young assistants in the country, The Athletic tabbed Justus one of the top 40 people in college basketball under 40 and ESPN named him one of the nation's top 40 coaches less than 40 years old in 2020.
Justus started his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Elon University from 2004-08, where he helped guide the Phoenix to a Northern Division title in 2006 and the Southern Conference championship game in 2008.
He was then a head coach at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry, Va., from 2008-12 and Davidson Day High School in Davidson, N.C. from 2012-14 before joining Kentucky’s staff.
A 2004 graduate of UNC Wilmington, Justus helped the Seahawks capture two Colonial Athletic Association titles, make three postseason appearances (NIT in 2001 and NCAA in 2002 and 2003) and was team captain his senior season.
Justus is married to the former Hannah Brown. He has two children: Deacon and Siler.
Justus’s Coaching Career
2024-Pres. Ohio State Assistant Coach
2022-24 NC State Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
2021-22 Arizona State Assistant Coach (1 season)
2016-17 Kentucky Assistant Coach (5 seasons)
2015-16 Kentucky Special Assistant to the Head Coach (1 season)
2014-15 Kentucky Director of Analytics (1 season)
2012-14 Davidson Day HS (N.C.) Head Coach (2 seasons)
2008-12 Woodberry Forest HS (Va.) Head Coach (4 seasons)
2004-08 Elon Assistant Coach (4 seasons)
In his first season at Ohio State, Justus helped the Buckeyes to a 17-15 overall record and the edge of the NCAA Tournament. Primarily running the offense, Justus guided the team to 78.8 points per game and 261 three-pointers made, which was tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history. Bruce Thornton earned second team All-Big Ten honors while averaging a career-best 17.7 points per game. He had three 30-point games, including one in the win over No. 4 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. Thornton led four Buckeyes who averaged 13.0 points or more during the 2024-25 season.
Justus and the Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons, including a magical run to Final Four during the 2023-24 season. NC State also won the ACC Tournament in Justus’s last season. Working with the guards, Justus helped guide Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith to earning All-ACC honors and helped turn Casey Morsell into one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the conference during the 2022-23 season.
Prior to NC State, he spent one season on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State, where he worked with former Buckeyes Alonzo Gaffney and Luther Muhammad. Prior to ASU, Justus spent seven seasons on Kentucky’s basketball staff, including the last five as an assistant coach.
Justus joined Kentucky’s staff prior to the 2014-15 season as the director of analytics. Using his analytics, Kentucky's players bought in to a two-platoon system that helped the Wildcats become one of the most efficient teams in the country, including the most dominant defensive team in recent history, as UK became the first team in college basketball history to start a season 38-0.
He was elevated to special assistant to the head coach for the 2015-16 season. With his previous responsibilities remaining an active part of his duties, Justus' role expanded to include scouting future opponents, providing strategies to help advance the program and assisting with special projects assigned by John Calipari.
In his first season as an assistant coach, Kentucky won both the SEC regular-season and tournament championships while advancing to the Elite Eight. He played a key part in securing what the Recruiting Services Consensus Index calculates as the best recruiting class ever in 2017 and the No. 1 class in 2020.
In 2017-18, he was instrumental in the development of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, into the SEC Tournament's most valuable player as UK won its fourth straight tournament championship.
During the 2018-19 season, as Kentucky advanced to another Elite Eight, Justus played a key part in the development of SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Ashton Hagans. He also worked closely with NBA first-round picks Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro. Justus played a similar role with 2020 SEC Player of this Year Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey, both first-round picks.
Justus helped Kentucky to another Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2020 and was a key part in what many tabbed as the best recruiting class in the country in 2020. Highlighted as one of the top young assistants in the country, The Athletic tabbed Justus one of the top 40 people in college basketball under 40 and ESPN named him one of the nation's top 40 coaches less than 40 years old in 2020.
Justus started his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Elon University from 2004-08, where he helped guide the Phoenix to a Northern Division title in 2006 and the Southern Conference championship game in 2008.
He was then a head coach at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry, Va., from 2008-12 and Davidson Day High School in Davidson, N.C. from 2012-14 before joining Kentucky’s staff.
A 2004 graduate of UNC Wilmington, Justus helped the Seahawks capture two Colonial Athletic Association titles, make three postseason appearances (NIT in 2001 and NCAA in 2002 and 2003) and was team captain his senior season.
Justus is married to the former Hannah Brown. He has two children: Deacon and Siler.
Justus’s Coaching Career
2024-Pres. Ohio State Assistant Coach
2022-24 NC State Assistant Coach (2 seasons)
2021-22 Arizona State Assistant Coach (1 season)
2016-17 Kentucky Assistant Coach (5 seasons)
2015-16 Kentucky Special Assistant to the Head Coach (1 season)
2014-15 Kentucky Director of Analytics (1 season)
2012-14 Davidson Day HS (N.C.) Head Coach (2 seasons)
2008-12 Woodberry Forest HS (Va.) Head Coach (4 seasons)
2004-08 Elon Assistant Coach (4 seasons)
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