Jim Jarvis


James C. Jarvis is a former American basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association and later coached at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Idaho.

Early years

Born in Caldwell, Idaho, Jarvis' parents were Curtis E. and Margaret Helen Jarvis. His father was a high school basketball head coach, first at Caldwell High. In the early 1950s, the family moved from Caldwell to Coquille, Oregon, where Curt coached at Coquille High School. He later moved to Roseburg High School when Jim was a high school sophomore.
A point guard, Jarvis played collegiately at Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he helped the Beavers win the NCAA West Regional championship in 1963 and earn their first Final Four appearance. Jarvis was an All-American as a senior in 1965 and also played baseball for the Beavers, and had a brief career as an infielder in the minor leagues in 1966.
He was later the golf coach at Oregon State for a season in 1971.

Pro career

Jarvis was selected by the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association in the sixth round of the 1965 NBA draft, but was cut by the team. Jarvis never played in the NBA, but did spend three seasons in the ABA as a member of the Pittsburgh Pipers, Minnesota Pipers, and Los Angeles Stars. He was a member of the 1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers team that won the 1968 ABA Championship.

Coaching

In 1971, Jarvis was hired as the head basketball coach at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane. After three seasons, he was hired by the University of Idaho in Moscow in March 1974, following the resignation of eight-year head coach Wayne Anderson after the elimination of full-time assistant coaches. The Vandals had finished no higher than sixth place in the Big Sky for the three previous seasons. After four seasons with last place finishes in the conference, Jarvis resigned in June 1978 under recurring allegations of illegal recruiting. The program had been placed on probation for one year in January, resulting in a reprimand for Jarvis and his assistant coach by the university.
Jarvis was succeeded in August by Idaho alumnus Don Monson, who had significantly greater success, taking the Vandals to a conference title in 1981 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 1982.
After coaching at Idaho, Jarvis returned to Oregon and worked in real estate in Bend.

Career coaching record