Tallahassee Community College director of athletics Rob Chaney has announced the hiring of Mark White as the Eagles’ new men’s basketball coach.
A Logan County native and graduate of Olmstead High School., White’s coaching career spans 25 years, including 23 at the college level, from NAIA to NJCAA to the Southeastern Conference.
White comes to Tallahassee following an impressive eight-year run at East Mississippi Community College, his first as a collegiate head coach, where he inherited a struggling program and moved it into the upper echelon of the NJCAA’s Division I programs. From 2007-15, he led the Lions to a 161-66 record (.709 winning percentage) and four straight appearances in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, courtesy of four consecutive NJCAA Region 23 titles (2010-13).
In each of East Mississippi’s championship seasons, White was recognized as the NJCAA District 15 and NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year.
While having mentored five NJCAA All-Americans during his EMCC coaching stint, including current Southeast Missouri standout Jarekious Bradley, White had seen 34 Lion players sign with four-year universities going into the 2014-15 season. Six players from his 2013-14 squad moved to the next level.
“I’m extremely excited to welcome Mark White to the Tallahassee Community College family,” said Chaney. “Coach White’s track record speaks for itself—his teams have been successful both on and off the court, and he has proven himself to be a leader of young men.”
Immediately prior to being hired at East Mississippi, White was an assistant coach at Mississippi State University under Rick Stansbury from 2002-07 and helped guide the Bulldogs to the 2004 SEC Championship, the school’s first since 1963.
In addition to East Mississippi, White’s affiliation with the NJCAA includes stints as an assistant coach at Wabash Valley (Ill.) College (1992-93), Barton County (Kan.) Community College (1994-95), Jacksonville (Texas) College (1995-96) and North Idaho College (1996-00). He worked extensively with Coach Patrick Smith. Coincidentally, his first season on the bench at North Idaho ended with a 121-116 overtime loss to Tallahassee in the third-place game at the 1997 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, still the highest-scoring game in the history of the tournament.
White has also been an assistant at Pikeville College (1990-92) and Georgia Southern University (1993-94), and was head coach at Central Hardin (Ky.) High School from 2000-02.
He earned two degrees from Austin Peay State University—a bachelor’s in health (with certification) with a minor in history and a master’s in health/physical education with a minor in administration and supervision.
Mark White has a teenage son, Cade, and a young daughter, Kennedy Grier. His mother, Janice White, keeps up with his career while living in Logan County.
Tallahassee Community College officially introduced White Monday, May 4, his first official day on the job at the College. White is succeeding Eddie Barnes, who retired following the 2014-15 season, his 14th as the Eagles’ head coach.