Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Ryan Pannone announced Thursday that Assistant Coaches Jordan Fair and Hayden Sowers, along with Director of Player Development Max Thorpe, have been promoted to new roles ahead of the 2026-27 season.
After joining Pannone’s inaugural staff in 2025-26, Fair and Sowers will assume the role of associate head coach while Thorpe has been named an assistant coach.
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Fair arrived following his eighth season as head coach at Oldsmar Christian High School while Sowers donned the Scarlet and Black following three seasons as head coach at South Plains College. Thorpe joined the program following one season as a graduate manager at Alabama, and spent four seasons as a student-athlete at Florida State prior to his time with the Crimson Tide.
Fair was one of 68 attendees at the Silver Waves Media NXT Up Rising Stars Power Lunch at the 2026 Men’s Final Four on April 2. During his stint at Oldsmar Christian, 35 of his players signed college scholarships and five were ranked inside the top 50 nationally.
Sowers ended his stint at South Plains College with an 83-19 record and was named the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice. In a decade of coaching, including eight seasons at the junior college level and two in the prep ranks, 95 Sowers-coached players reached the Division I level.
“Jordan and Hayden have done a great job within player development, helping coach the offense and defense,” said Pannone. “They’ve helped land the No. 1 transfer recruiting class in the Sun Belt for two years in a row, and the fruits of their labor are being rewarded with the title promotion to associate head coach.
They are two of the best recruiters in the country and we’re fortunate to keep them here at Arkansas State.”
Thorpe was a three-year letterwinner with the Seminoles and was a part of an ACC Tournament finalist and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team in 2021. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management and a graduate certificate in athletic coaching before moving on to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“Max has done an unbelievable job in continuingly helping develop our players on the floor and through film sessions while leading our analytics program,” said Pannone. “His vast knowledge of the game through his upbringing and playing career has provided tremendous value to our program.
His relentless work ethic and commitment to this program has led to his promotion as an assistant coach.”
In 2025-26 the trio played instrumental roles in helping A-State become one of two teams nationally to win 20 games despite fielding no returners from the previous season. The Red Wolves emerged as the victor in a program-record nine road games and tied for the 14th-most nationally during the campaign.
A-State ended the regular season with a second-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference regular season standings and posted the second-highest NET ranking among conference programs. With an 83.0 scoring average, the Scarlet and Black led the league and replaced the previous program record set in 1966-67.
The team’s greatest strength was found on the glass, ranking eighth nationally with a 41.3 rebounding average and fifth with a 14.25 offensive rebounding average.
A-State enters the 2026-27 campaign with the top-ranked transfer recruiting class among Sun Belt programs according to 247Sports. The Red Wolves claimed the top spot in the conference for the second consecutive season and the third time in the last four years.
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