A former player under coach Pitts at King University, J.T. Blair joined the men's basketball staff prior to the 2013-14 season. He spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant at Lees-McRae College. He also served as the head coach of the Tornado developmental team for four years.
The Tornado won their third Conference Carolinas regular season title, finishing the 2017-18 season with a conference record of 14-4 to edge Lees-McRae for the title. King defeated the Bobcats 102-98 in Banner Elk, N.C. in the regular season finale. The Tornado then earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship where they fell to top-ranked and top-seed Lincoln Memorial University. Jordan Floyd was unanimously selected Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and first team all-conference. He became the first Tornado to earn D2CCA first team All-Southeast Region honors.
In 2016-17, Blair helped lead the Tornado back to the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game after defeating top seed Pfeiffer on the road 100-98. However, the Tornado fell short of the second straight NCAA Tournament appearance as they fell to Limestone in the championship game 76-70. Overall, King posted a 19-12 record while going 14-6 in Conference Carolinas play, finishing tied for third in the standings. Hunter LeVeau garnered first team all-conference honors and ECAC honorable mention recognition while C.J. Good was selected second team all-conference. The Tornado led the league in rebounding with an average of 38.6 boards per game while ranking second with 11.9 three-point baskets per game.
Blair helped guide the Tornado to their second Conference Carolinas regular season title and first Conference Carolinas Tournament title in 2015-16. He also helped the Tornado climbed the polls early in the season, achieving a ranking as high as seventh in the NABC poll, their highest ranking in the poll in school history. The Tornado won 10 straight contests before falling in the season finale, King wrapped up their second Conference Carolinas regular season title and top seed in the league tournament with a mark of 17-3. King hosted the semifinals and finals in the Student Center Complex, defeating Barton 85-53 in the championship game, clinching their second NCAA Tournament berth. The Tornado earned the No. 2 seed in the regional tournament, and their season came to close in the first round, falling to regional finalist Lenoir-Rhyne, giving King an overall record of 25-7. C.J. Good and Hunter LeVeau both garnered all-conference honors and Good earned All-Region honors from the NABC after leading all of NCAA Division II with an average of 3.97 three-point field goals per game.
in 2014-15, Blair helped the Tornado make history as they hosted a game that was televised on national television for the first time in school history. King squared off against 18th-ranked University of Mount Olive in CBS Sports' NCAA Division II Basketball Game of the Week. The Tornado gave the sellout crowd quite a show, coming from 12 points down and closing the game on a 53-23 run over the final 16 minutes and outscored the Trojans 60-38 in the second half to take the contest 91-73 for their first win over a ranked team since 2013. King would finish runner-up to Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas regular season standings with a league record of 17-3. The Tornado advanced to the conference tournament semifinals with a buzzer-beating three-point shot from Hunter LeVeau to top Limestone, however, King's run ended with a loss to North Greenville in the semifinals. The Tornado ended the season with an overall record of 24-6, going 14-1 in the Student Center Complex. Logan Lyle earned Conference Carolinas Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second time, became the first King men's basketball player to be selected Capital One Academic All-District, and King University’s Male Athlete of the Year.
The 2013-14 season saw the Tornado break the school record for three-point baskets in a game when they connected on 27 triples in their 131-69 win over Mars Hill University in the second game of the year. King also came within two points of the 44-year-old school record for points in a game. In all, Blair helped guide the Tornado to an overall record of 16-13, going 11-5 in Conference Carolinas play. King finished only one game out of first place, and finished as conference tournament runners-up to Limestone College.
Blair started coaching when he was a student-athlete at King, working at various camps held on and off campus. He helped teach campers techniques and fundamentals while working King camps as well as at Clemson University and the Camp of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn.
Following his graduation from King in 2010, Blair became a graduate manager at Charleston Southern University for one year before being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations. Blair was involved with the day-to-day operations of the Buccaneers men's basketball program. His duties included team travel, academic success, film exchange and editing and opponent game preparation.
In 2012, Blair was hired as an assistant coach at Lees-McRae College. While there he was responsible for recruiting as well as scouting reports and instruction during practices and games.
While at King, Blair was a team captain for both his junior and senior seasons and was named to the 2008-09 Appalachian Athletic Conference All-Tournament team. He also won the NAIA Champion of Character award in 2009 and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He graduated from King with a bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in coaching in 2010. Blair is a native of Knoxvill, and currently resides in Bristol, Tenn.
