by Griffin Powell

Amid a program that has had their struggles over the past few years, the Greensboro College men’s basketball team calls upon a new head coach to take the lead and potentially guide them to their first ever conference championship. The person who has been chosen to take the call is renowned coach Jim Boone. With over 40 years of coaching experience from Coach Boone, the Pride look to make a huge turnaround this upcoming season. Coach Boone talks about the goals he has set on and off the court for his program and how he is going to change the culture.  

Born and raised in West Virginia and getting his first ever coaching job at his alma mater West Virginia State University, it is safe to say Coach Boone has a plethora of coaching experience with over 40 years in his career. It is not only winning that inspires him to keep coaching, but the teaching aspect he can incorporate off the court. He says, “I became a basketball coach first for the love for the game—my love for teaching it and the competition. I made it my career when I saw it impact younger people, because at the end of the day it is bigger than basketball.” 

Coming from winning programs he has built from the ground up in higher divisions, there was an underlying question that needed to be asked. Why GC? Coach Boone answered this question by saying, “I really believe that this level, the Division 3 level, is the purest form of student-athletes. Our guys are truly playing the sport because they love it, but their priorities are graduation and preparation for success in life.” Coach Boone makes it apparent that he has “a lot left to give to the players and to the college.” 

Goals and expectations are set very high considering the hype Coach Boone brings to the program. Coach Boone has already made his goals known on and off the court. For on court goals, he states, “My goals for our season are very simple, to be the absolute best team we can become.” These goals will not be obtained easily—they will be achieved by buying into “the process.” This process consists of “learning great habits and the ability consistently to apply those habits on a daily basis.” Coach Boone only has a few set off-court goals. He says, “I will work very hard to build a program that our entire college and community can look to with pride and admiration. To have young men who will be the absolute role models of our college and community.” 

With the Pride’s season officially beginning with practices on September 17, Coach Boone has big plans to turn around the culture and the play compared to previous years. With high expectations, Coach Boone truly has something brewing at Greensboro College.