Less than two weeks after he was hired as Marquette's head coach, Tom Crean hired Tim Buckley as his top assistant. Buckley joined the Marquette staff on April 12, 1999.

“Tim is a highly-motivated individual whose enthusiasm for the game is evident in the way he coaches,” remarked Crean. “He possesses the combination of a solid knowledge of the game along with a proven ability to recruit.”

“This is an outstanding opportunity for me and my family,” said Buckley upon his hiring. “I feel that I will be working with one of the rising stars in the profession at one of the premier programs in college basketball. The move was easy because of those factors. As much as I enjoyed my time at Ball State, all of the people I respect in this business think this is a great move.”

Buckley had served as the associate head coach at Ball State since 1994. The Cardinals participated in the 1995 NCAA Tournament after winning the Mid-American Conference tournament title. Ball State also earned an NIT berth in 1998 after capturing the MAC regular-season crown. As the Cardinals' recruiting coordinator, the school's 1998 class was ranked first in the nation among mid-major programs.

Buckley was an assistant coach at Wisconsin during the 1993-94 campaign. The Badgers posted an 18-11 record and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 47 years.

From 1989 to 1993, Buckley was the head coach at Rockford College in Rockford, Ill. He compiled a 50-52 record and reached the 50-win mark faster than any other coach in school history. As the NCAA's youngest coach in 1989-90, he led the Regents to a 16-9 mark, their first winning season in seven campaigns.

Buckley also served as an assistant coach at Bemidji State from 1985 to 1988.

A native of Aurora, Ill., Buckley earned a master's degree in physical education from Bemidji State in 1988. He received a bachelor's degree in communication from Bemidji State in 1986. He was a two-year starter for the Beavers.

Buckley is married to the former Shannon Marsh and the couple has a daughter, Meredith.