The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has named Michael Landers of Baton Rouge Community College as the 2010 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Junior College/Community College (JC/CC) Coach of the Year.
This year marks the 28th year this accolade has been presented, which has been selected by the WBCA since 1983.
“I am honored to present this award to a very worthy candidate in Michael Landers,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “He exemplifies what coaching is all about, and on behalf of the WBCA I congratulate Michael Landers for a job well done.”
Upon arriving at BRCC, Landers took over as the head coach for the first women’s basketball team in school history in April of 2009. He also took on the dual role of athletic director and coach and oversees the development and growth of the BRCC athletic department. His team went 22-6 and won 19 out of their last 20 games this season. Landers’ team finished the year ranked No. 24 in the NJCAA poll. In his first year with the Bears, Landers led his team to winning the MISS-LOU Conference and a second place finish in their district.
Before his arrival at BRCC, Landers spent nine seasons as the head coach at Trinity Valley Community College and is the second-winningest coach in the school’s history. He led TVCC to four national tournament appearances and eight straight conference titles (2001-2009). His teams were a fixture in the NJCAA National Polls, and Landers compiled an overall coaching record of 265-36 while at TVCC. In 2004, Landers led the Lady Cardinals to a 36-0 record and their fifth national championship and was named the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National JC/CC Coach of the Year. Also while at TVCC, Landers served as the athletic director from 2006-2009.
Landers started his coaching career in 1994 at East Texas Baptist University as an assistant and recruiting coordinator. After four years, he was promoted to the head coaching position. In three seasons as the head coach at ETBU, the Lady Tigers compiled an overall record of 75-16 and were the NCCAA national runners-up two consecutive years (1999-2000).
Landers is a member of several different basketball organizations including the NJCAA Basketball Coaches Association, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Southwest Association of Basketball Coaches. Since 2006, he has served on the WBCA Board of Directors.
Landers graduated with a degree in biology from East Texas Baptist University in 1994 and then went on to get his master’s in kinesiology from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1997. He is married to Kenya Larkin-Landers, who is an assistant coach at Louisiana State University.
