A graduate of Olmstead High School not only has earned Coach of the Year honors but also has led his team to an opening round win its first appearance in a national tournament.
On the eve of making the school’s first appearance in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, East Mississippi Community College head coach Mark White was named the 2009-10 NJCAA Division I/District 15 Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year for his team’s accomplishments this season. White received the honor at Monday night’s pre-tournament player appreciation banquet in Hutchinson, Kan. The 12th-ranked Lions won their first-ever game in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tuesday. Sparked by 39 collective points from the bench, East Mississippi made a successful showing with a solid 86-65 first-round victory over Brunswick (N.C.) at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

In making their initial appearance in the 63^rd annual postseason event, the EMCC Lions advanced to meet Navarro College of Texas in second-round action of the championship bracket Wednesday. They lost that game 72-58 in the double elimination tournament. Next on their schedule was a Thursday afternoon game against fifth-ranked Northwest Florida.. Video stream broadcasts of all contesst are available via the Internet by logging onto www.njcaa.org/tv.
In his third season with a 55-31 career record at the EMCC men’s basketball helm, White has guided the 2009-10 Lions to a 27-5 overall record heading into this week’s NJCAA Tournament. Having taken over a men’s basketball program with just six total wins in the two seasons combined prior to his arrival in Scooba in 2007, White led his first East Mississippi club to a respectable 11-14 mark in 2007-08. A year ago, the Lions improved to 17-11 overall and finished the regular season tied for second place in the MACJC’s North Division prior to advancing to the semifinals of both the state and regional tournaments in 2009.

As this year’s MACJC North Division regular-season champions and winners of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, the Lions are in Kansas this week. Fans will also be able to follow the five-day tournament by visiting www.njcaabbtrny.org to access official brackets, live stats, game results, and additional information about the tournament.
The Lions entered national tournament play sporting a 26-5 overall record after besting Northeast Mississippi (86-79), Hinds (81-74 in OT) and Itawamba (78-64) on consecutive nights to claim the NJCAA Region 23 championship on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton. East Mississippi also finished as runners-up to Pearl River for the MACJC State Championship, dropping a 61-58 decision to the Wildcats in the title game played on EMCC’s Scooba campus.
With 20 years of coaching experience at various levels of competition around the country, Mark White is in his third season as the head men’s basketball coach at East Mississippi Community College.

White is no stranger to postseason tournament play. During five years (2003-07) as an assistant coach under Rick Stansbury, White was a part of Mississippi State teams that made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT semifinal-round showing, along with claiming an overall Southeastern Conference championship and three SEC West titles. While with the Bulldogs, White assisted with a wide variety of responsibilities, including on-floor coaching, scouting preparation, scheduling, film exchange and recruiting.

Before rejoining the NCAA Division I coaching ranks in 2002, White’s first job as a head coach came during a two-year stop as the head boys’ basketball coach and special education instructor at Central Hardin High School in Cecilia, Ky.

White’s previous 10-year involvement with the junior college basketball ranks was capped by a successful four-year stint (1996-2000) as an assistant coach at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. The 1996-97 NIC Cardinals posted a 30-6 record and collected a school-best, fourth-place national finish at the 1997 NJCAA Tournament.

A long-time association with veteran junior college head coach Patrick Smith preceded White’s move to Idaho. During back-to-back seasons under Smith, White first served as an assistant coach at Barton County Community College in Kansas, which achieved a No. 3 national ranking during the 1994-95 regular season. The following year, the coaching tandem teamed up to guide Jacksonville (Texas) College to a No. 7 national ranking in the NJCAA poll.

Before a one-year stay (1993-94) as an assistant coach at Georgia Southern University, White began his coaching affiliation with Smith at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill. In one season together at MVC, the pair guided the 1992-93 Warriors to a ninth-place finish at the NJCAA Tournament.

White earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Austin Peay State University, where he served as a graduate assistant and volunteer assistant coach for the Governors. White’s first full-time coaching job came as a two-year (1990-92) assistant coach at Pikeville College.

A native of Russellville., White is married to the former Brittany Wagner of Clinton, Miss., who serves as EMCC’s academic counselor and cheerleading advisor. They are the parents of one daughter, Kennedy Grier, 1. White also has a 10-year-old son, Cade, who lives in Idaho. His mother, Janice White, keeps up with his career while living in Logan County.