NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Officers:
President
|
1st Vice President
Tim Sandquist
Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College |
2nd Vice President
Pete Norman
Highland (Ill.) Community College |
3rd Vice President
Cord Wright
Northeast Miss. Community College |
|
Secretary/Treasurer
John Bowler
Parkland College (Ill.) |
Past President
|
Executive Director
Thom McDonald
NJCAA Region 11 | ICCAC |
Wright, Bowler Elected as Third Vice President & Secretary
Cord Wright (Northeast Mississippi) was named the Third Vice President of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Board, while John Bowler (Parkland (Ill.)) was voted into the Secretary position.
The rotation of the committee after the two-year cycle along with departure of Francis Flax to the high school ranks opened up the positions. Wright and Bowler were the top two vote getters among the 15 candidates on the ballot of which 165 member votes were cast from 99 current NJCAA Coaches Association members.
Wright will enter his 11th season as the head coach of Northeast Mississippi Community College since being hired in 2013. He led Northeast Mississippi to a regional title in 2016, which in turn earned him regional and district coach of the year honors.
Prior to, Wright worked as an assistant coach at Louisiana Monroe from 2010-2013, and before that spent time at North Alabama.
In his playing days, Wright played two seasons at Danville Area (Ill.) under former NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association President John Spezia, before finishing at Limestone College in South Carolina.
Bowler is currently entering his third season at Parkland (Ill.) after returning to the NJCAA from an assistant coaching stint at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2019-2022). Since becoming the head coach of Parkland, Bowler has accumulated 47 wins in two seasons while making an Elite Eight Appearance and being named 2024 MWAC Coach of the Year.
Champaign, Ill. is Bowler’s second stop as an NJCAA head coach after prior head coaching experience at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa. He was in charge in 2018-19 and the associate head coach there from 2014-18.
Bowler played his college basketball at Eastern Michigan before becoming a coach. Bowler was the leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and rebounder (10.8 rpg) in the Mid-Atlantic Conference during the 2005-06 season. He played six seasons overseas before joining the coaching ranks.
The rotation of the committee after the two-year cycle along with departure of Francis Flax to the high school ranks opened up the positions. Wright and Bowler were the top two vote getters among the 15 candidates on the ballot of which 165 member votes were cast from 99 current NJCAA Coaches Association members.
Wright will enter his 11th season as the head coach of Northeast Mississippi Community College since being hired in 2013. He led Northeast Mississippi to a regional title in 2016, which in turn earned him regional and district coach of the year honors.
Prior to, Wright worked as an assistant coach at Louisiana Monroe from 2010-2013, and before that spent time at North Alabama.
In his playing days, Wright played two seasons at Danville Area (Ill.) under former NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association President John Spezia, before finishing at Limestone College in South Carolina.
Bowler is currently entering his third season at Parkland (Ill.) after returning to the NJCAA from an assistant coaching stint at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2019-2022). Since becoming the head coach of Parkland, Bowler has accumulated 47 wins in two seasons while making an Elite Eight Appearance and being named 2024 MWAC Coach of the Year.
Champaign, Ill. is Bowler’s second stop as an NJCAA head coach after prior head coaching experience at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa. He was in charge in 2018-19 and the associate head coach there from 2014-18.
Bowler played his college basketball at Eastern Michigan before becoming a coach. Bowler was the leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and rebounder (10.8 rpg) in the Mid-Atlantic Conference during the 2005-06 season. He played six seasons overseas before joining the coaching ranks.
For the last three years, Joe Kuhn served as the president of the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association. During that time, NJCAA Basketball has been afforded new, unprecedented opportunities for its student-athletes and coaches.
Under Kuhn’s supervision, a number of events have either began or continued to thrive. First, the NJCAA (and two-year college associations – NWAC & 3C2A) recently partnered with the NCAA to be included in the NCAA College Basketball Academy. Fifty-four of the nation’s top rising sophomores were selected to attend and showcase their talents in front of hundreds of four-year college coaches.
Prior to the Academy, the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association launched the NJCAA Rising All-Star event, which was of the same premise. Fifty to sixty of the nation’s best were brought to Council Bluffs for a three-day event giving NJCAA student-athletes another opportunity to be evaluated during the new open recruiting period in July.
Additionally, Kuhn continued the NJCAA Men’s Basketball All-Star Game in Las Vegas, renewing the event after a two-year hiatus due to COVID. In part with the All-Star Game, the Hall of Fame Weekend resumed as well.
Kuhn oversaw the restructuring of the Coaches Association Constitution & By-laws, increased the operating budget and brought in funding from for the NABC and other event sponsorships.
Finally, Kuhn was instrumental in creating the Coaches Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. The newly created DEI Committee will provide a more comprehensive and varied viewpoint to represent all who participate in NJCAA Basketball.
Kuhn will remain on the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association for one more term, serving in the role of past president.
On behalf of all of NJCAA Basketball, thank you for your commitment and service to our student-athletes and coaches.
Under Kuhn’s supervision, a number of events have either began or continued to thrive. First, the NJCAA (and two-year college associations – NWAC & 3C2A) recently partnered with the NCAA to be included in the NCAA College Basketball Academy. Fifty-four of the nation’s top rising sophomores were selected to attend and showcase their talents in front of hundreds of four-year college coaches.
Prior to the Academy, the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association launched the NJCAA Rising All-Star event, which was of the same premise. Fifty to sixty of the nation’s best were brought to Council Bluffs for a three-day event giving NJCAA student-athletes another opportunity to be evaluated during the new open recruiting period in July.
Additionally, Kuhn continued the NJCAA Men’s Basketball All-Star Game in Las Vegas, renewing the event after a two-year hiatus due to COVID. In part with the All-Star Game, the Hall of Fame Weekend resumed as well.
Kuhn oversaw the restructuring of the Coaches Association Constitution & By-laws, increased the operating budget and brought in funding from for the NABC and other event sponsorships.
Finally, Kuhn was instrumental in creating the Coaches Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. The newly created DEI Committee will provide a more comprehensive and varied viewpoint to represent all who participate in NJCAA Basketball.
Kuhn will remain on the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association for one more term, serving in the role of past president.
On behalf of all of NJCAA Basketball, thank you for your commitment and service to our student-athletes and coaches.