Bethune-Cookman Head Women's Basketball Coach Vanessa Inge announced this week the addition of Jim Baxter as an Assistant Coach as the newest member of her coaching staff for the 2009-10 season. Baxter will serve as an assistant coach and Recruiting Coordinator, beginning his duties immediately for the Lady Wildcats.

 

"I'm very thrilled to have Jim as part of our staff here at Bethune-Cookman," Inge stated. "He's a total package, with exceptional character, experience at many different levels, and a strong understanding of the game; not only knowing it but also able to teach and relate to our players. These traits will all be huge assets to our program as we move forward."

 

Inge and Baxter are well acquainted, as they faced each other coaching in the Northeast Conference (NEC), with Inge at Mount St. Mary's while Baxter was at Monmouth. "We were opponents for seven seasons," said Inge of their time in the NEC. "Our teams were very much alike and it was exciting to coach in those games because of the passion and intensity of both teams."

 

Tough games between the two teams were always expected, including one particularly notable game. This overtime game in late January of 2004 between Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's, which went to three overtimes (with Monmouth winning 104-100), Inge recalls as being the epitome of their programs' rivalry, saying it was always a "deep battle and a never-give-up fight."

 

"We are happy to have him aboard and we will utilize the wealth of experience and excellent contacts he has accumulated from a long career," Inge concluded, "which will be useful in the continuing progress of our program as we look to become even more successful than our first season."

 

 

Baxter brings the Lady Wildcats nearly 40 years of basketball coaching experience to add more strength to a solid staff that has made a huge turnaround in B-CU Women's Basketball with only one season down. Baxter comes to Daytona Beach after working eight seasons at Monmouth University as an Assistant Women's Basketball Coach. During his time with the Hawks, Baxter's duties included recruiting, scouting and on-floor coaching, while Monmouth remained a strong team in the NEC during that time. Prior to Monmouth, he was the head coach of the Memphis Houn'Dawgs of the ABA in 2000-2001.

 

 

"I know Coach Inge extremely well and I'm very excited to get a chance to work with her, plus it's great to be back in Florida," Baxter said. "I'm looking forward to contributing in the development of our players and the team itself, and help to further develop our recruiting contacts, using relationships I've built throughout my career."

 

Baxter recognizes very well the type of team he is joining from his years coaching in the NEC. "As with her previous teams, Coach Inge has some very athletic kids in our program," noted Baxter "who play very hard, and fit the up-tempo game; it's going to be a lot of fun working with them."

 

Baxter is familiar with the MEAC, having spent two seasons at Florida A&M as an assistant men's coach prior to his stint in Memphis. During his first year in Tallahassee, he helped to guide the team to a MEAC title and an NCAA tournament appearance, after getting off to a rough 0-10 start. He also spent one season at Tallahassee Community College and another at Florida State.

 

Prior to his start in the collegiate ranks, Baxter was the head boy's coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., leading the Raiders to three state quarterfinal finishes and five district titles. He also coached Team Florida AAU, guiding the team to two AAU National tournament finals from 1988-90. Prior to coaching AAU, he had another extended stay as the head boy's coach at Palatka High School (Palatka, Fla.) for twelve seasons.

 

Baxter started his coaching career as an undergraduate student at Indiana State University, volunteer coaching for his high school basketball team at the Indiana State Development High School. After four years as a volunteer Baxter enrolled in graduate school and began his full-time coaching position as the assistant coach at the IS DHS.

 

A native of Rockville, Ind., Baxter graduated from Indiana State University in 1974 with a Bachelors of Science Education. His wife, Michele Woods-Baxter, is beginning her second season as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida, and starting her first season as Recruiting Coordinator. The Baxters have four sons; Nate, Quinn, Creighton, and Kyle.