Wichita State announces hiring of PJ Couisnard as basketball assistant coach
Wichita State officially announced the hiring of P.J. Couisnard, a beloved former Shocker, as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team on Monday.
Couisnard scored 1,303 points during his playing career from 2003-08 and played a key role in the 2006 Sweet 16 run. He is the only player in program history to record 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists, 98 blocks and 140 steals in a career.
The Eagle first reported Couisnard’s expected hire on April 18, a little more than a week after former assistant T.J. Cleveland departed for an assistant job at Texas A&M.
“I’ve been able to follow P.J.’s journey since his high school days playing at Jack Yates in Houston to Wichita State to coaching in Texas for these past 20 years,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said in a statement.
“He has made a positive impact everywhere he has been. He is a tremendous coach. More importantly, he is passionate about Wichita State. His experience and success playing for the Shockers gives him a unique perspective. He will add immediate value to our basketball program and I’m glad, after all these years as a player, that he will continue to give his talents as a coach.”
After finishing up his playing career, Couisnard returned to his hometown of Houston and steadily built a successful AAU program, Cooz Elite, on the Puma circuit.
Couisnard, 40, has also been the head boys boys basketball coach at Legacy, The School of Sport Sciences, a charter school in the Houston area, since 2018. He has coached several Division I-bound prospects, including a handful who ended up at WSU.
It will make for an emotional return to the Roundhouse for Couisnard, who will be accompanied by his son, Pierre Jr., who was born during his playing days as a Shocker. Pierre Jr. committed to WSU earlier this spring.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM.
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