51社区 hired Brad Phillips to coach men and women鈥檚 basketball as the college joins the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). Phillips will begin coaching this fall and will be holding tryouts for the men鈥檚 basketball team starting Saturday, April 13 at 1 PM. The tryouts will be held at the 51社区 Bank of Lockesburg Gymnasium, and tryouts for the women鈥檚 basketball team will be announced very soon.
Brad Phillips grew up in northeastern Arkansas playing basketball at Maynard High School. As a college athlete, Phillips played basketball for Crowley鈥檚 Ridge College in Arkansas, Brown Mackie Junior College in Kansas, and the former Ambassador University in Texas. He received a Bachelor鈥檚 degree from Williams Baptist College and a Master鈥檚 degree from Emporia State University.
Phillips has had experience in coaching basketball for men and women at both the high school and college level. He has gained coaching experience at East Georgia College in Georgia, St. Cloud Technical and Community College in Minnesota, and Morthland College in Illinois just to name a few. Phillips was previously the head men鈥檚 basketball coach and athletic director at Southeastern Baptist College in Laurel, Mississippi. For the 2018-2019 season, Phillips helped lead his team at Southeastern Baptist College to finishing 16th in the nation in the NCCAA district 2 power ranking.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about this opportunity to coach at 51社区, and I am ready to get to work鈥�, said Coach Brad Phillips. When asked why he wanted to be a coach at UA Cossatot Phillips said, 鈥淚t was a great opportunity to get back to Arkansas, to get to work with Dr. Steve Cole, and to get to work with the NJCAA recruiting men and women to play basketball.鈥�
Last month, 51社区 announced that the school鈥檚 sports program will be joining the NJCAA. Being a member of this association will give 51社区 more prestige in recruitment, the eligibility for the district, regional, and national tournament qualification, and the chance for its student-athletes to gain more advantages.
According to the 51社区 Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole, 鈥淗iring Coach Phillips and joining the NJCAA next year will have an instant impact on our student athlete experience at 51社区. The community and student body support for our athletic programs has been overwhelming and we are excited about where 51社区 is heading with more and more opportunities for our students, both academically and athletically鈥�. Dr. Cole also added, 鈥淕O COLTS鈥�!
For any current or future 51社区 students interested in playing basketball please contact Coach Brad Phillips at (870)-378-7203, or you can e-mail him at coachbradphillips@gmail.com.