James Thatcher will make his debut as Southeast Arkansas College women’s basketball coach Friday at home.
The Sharks will start their second season of competition at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s H.O. Clemmons Arena against Mississippi’s Coahoma Community College of the NJCAA Division I ranks. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game between the two schools at 7:30 p.m.
Thatcher is also serving as men’s basketball assistant coach under Chad Kline. The Shark men began the season Tuesday beating Louisiana’s Community Christian College 109-72.
Thatcher succeeds in both positions Sam Waniewski, who is now the men’s head coach at Michigan’s Glen Oaks Community College. Glen Oaks is now 3-0 after defeating Mott Community College 111-66 on Wednesday.
Waniewski led the SEARK women to an 11-11 record and an appearance in the NJCAA Division II Region II tournament last February.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Thatcher was most recently men’s coach at Division II Southwest Virginia Community College, where he was named to the position in January. He previously was an assistant and head coach for men’s and women’s teams at Florida’s Trinity Baptist College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Warner University and Florida National University; Georgia’s Brewton-Parker Christian University; Washington state’s Grays Harbor College; and New York’s Bryant & Stratton College, according to an announcement from SEARK.
Thatcher has won more than 100 games and earned a small college national championship as an assistant men’s coach at Trinity Baptist in 2012. He’s also coached in international competition against Dawn Staley’s U.S. women’s national team and the Bahamas men’s team in an Olympic qualifying exhibition.
“I look forward to coaching these young men and women and helping Coach (Chad) Kline lead both programs to NJCAA Region 2 championships and national tournament success,” Thatcher said in a news release. Kline is the SEARK men’s coach and athletic director.
“Coach Thatcher brings a wealth of experience, energy and knowledge to our basketball programs,” Kline said. “His background at multiple levels of college basketball will be a tremendous asset as we continue building competitive men’s and women’s teams here at SEARK.”
