General Information | Coaching
Experience |
Top 5 Moments |
Coaching
Philosophy
Assistant Basketball Coach
at Indiana State University, 1985-89
Assistant Basketball Coach
at South Vigo High School, 1989-94, 1995-2003
Head Basketball Coach at
The University of Nuevo Leon, 1994-95
In
August of 1985, Mike was asked to join newly appointed Head Coach Ron
Greene's Indiana State University Basketball Coaching Staff. Under Coach
Greene, Mike learned a great deal of various basketball coaching
strategies and techniques. Coach Greene was a great believer in changing
a strategy or basic coaching philosophy quickly if it did not give
immediate satisfactory results, hence resulting in Mike getting a
tremendous amount of experience in many different ways to do things in
basketball (entries, offenses, defenses, fundamentals, conditioning
techniques, weight training techniques, promotion, recruiting, etc).
In the fall of 1989, Mike
joined Coach Pat Rady and his coaching staff at Terre Haute South Vigo
High School. During the 1991 season, the Braves made it to the
prestigious one class "Final Four" led by former NBA and Big Ten
Player-of-the-Year player Brian Evans and former IU/ISU player Steve
Hart. Since joining the Terre Haute South coaching staff, the Braves
have been invited to the "Hall of Fame Classic," had three players sign
"Big Ten" basketball scholarships, one player named NCAA Division III
National Player-of-the-Year, two players named NCAA All-Americans, three
players named to the Indiana All-Star team and have won three sectional
championships, one regional championship and one semi-state
championship.
In June of 1994, Mike was
contracted to rebuild the basketball program at the University of Nuevo
Leon in Monterrey, Mexico (UANL) and be in charge of basketball for the
state of Nuevo Leon. While in Mexico, Mike also did clinics for
basketball coaches from Cuba and Mexico. While at UANL, the "Tigres"
defeated Mexican national powerhouse and cross-town rival Monterrey Tec
for the first time in 20 years and the "Tigres" went to the Mexican
Collegiate Basketball National Championships held in Sonora for the
first time in 20 years. Mike enjoyed working with his most promising
young player, Eduardo Najera, who is currently playing for the Dallas
Mavericks in the NBA. This was an incredible experience for Mike in
basketball because he had to totally rebuild a fallen college basketball
program. Having to recruit, promote, coach and teach all in Spanish made
the task at hand quite interesting and challenging.
In 1995, Mike was asked by
the National Team Coach, Hector Santos (CEU) to be an Assistant
Basketball Coach on the Mexican National Team that participated in the
"World Games," held in Fukouka, Japan. In March 1998, Mike was asked
again by the country of Mexico to be the head basketball coach of the
Mexican National Team that will compete in the Central American Games.
In 1995, Mike returned to
his previous position as Varsity Assistant Basketball Coach at South
Vigo High School and Computer/PE teacher at Chauncey Rose Middle School
in Terre Haute, Indiana until 1998. In 1998, Mike returned to Terre
Haute South to teach Strength Training and Conditioning physical
education.
