John Aiken, a native of Portland, Maine, enters his second season as the Head Coach for the Belhaven Men’s Basketball Program. Aiken spent the previous four seasons as Belhaven’s assistant coach under Tom Kelsey who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at LSU.
Aiken played an integral role as an assistant coach in Belhaven’s success over the four seasons in the areas of recruitment and on the floor coaching. During that span, the Blazers have made two trips to the Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I National Tournament in 2010 and 2012. The appearance in 2010 was the first for the program since the 1972 season. Belhaven’s combined overall record during those four years is 74-55, including a 24-10 mark during the 2009-10 campaign.
“I’m excited to build on the success we have had over the last several years,” says Aiken. “We have momentum building and I’m looking forward to capitalizing on that. I would like to thank Coach Kelsey, Scott Little, Dr. Roger Parrott, and the many others that supported me during the process and believed in me enough to give me this opportunity.
Prior to arriving at Belhaven, Aiken worked at the University of New England where he helped guide the program to a 17-12 record and an appearance in the 2008 ECAC New England Regional Championship game. Aiken served as an Assistant Coach and was the Recruiting Coordinator.
Before working at the University of New England, Aiken worked as an Assistant Coach at Cheverus High School for Coach Bob Brown. He also served as the Assistant Coach at Greater Portland Christian School for 4 years prior.
Coach Aiken has worked several prestigious Summer Camps including The University of Louisville, Xavier University, University of Connecticut, Wake Forest University, Florida State University, and The University of Miami. Additionally, he served as the Director of Basketball for Camp Caribou located in Winslow, Maine.
He and his wife Michelle also spent a summer working with Athletes in Action in South Africa and Mozambique where they volunteered at orphanages, coached against several professional and club teams, and visited with various schools and governmental organizations.
Aiken earned his Bachelor’s Degree in economics from the University of Southern Maine. He, Michelle, their daughter Gracie, and their puppy Coby currently reside in Jackson, MS.
