UA Cossatot hired Brad Phillips to coach men and women’s 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’s basketball team starting Saturday, April 13 at 1 PM. The tryouts will be held at the UA Cossatot Bank of Lockesburg Gymnasium, and tryouts for the women’s 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’s Ridge College in Arkansas, Brown Mackie Junior College in Kansas, and the former Ambassador University in Texas. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Williams Baptist College and a Master’s 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’s 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.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to coach at UA Cossatot, and I am ready to get to work”, said Coach Brad Phillips. When asked why he wanted to be a coach at UA Cossatot Phillips said, “It 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.”
Last month, UA Cossatot announced that the school’s sports program will be joining the NJCAA. Being a member of this association will give UA Cossatot 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 UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole, “Hiring Coach Phillips and joining the NJCAA next year will have an instant impact on our student athlete experience at UA Cossatot. The community and student body support for our athletic programs has been overwhelming and we are excited about where UA Cossatot is heading with more and more opportunities for our students, both academically and athletically”. Dr. Cole also added, “GO COLTS”!
For any current or future UA Cossatot students interested in playing basketball please contact Coach Brad Phillips at (870)-378-7203, or you can e-mail him at coachbradphillips@gmail.com.