New Head Coach for Men's Basketball
Choctaws hire former Belhaven coach, Josh Brooks, to take the reins next season.
After a season that ended in disappointing fashion, the Choctaws have hired a new head coach to take over the men’s basketball program. Coach Josh Brooks, who has spent the past three seasons at Belhaven University, was the man to answer the call. In his tenure at Belhaven, Coach Brooks led the Blazers to back-to-back conference championship appearances and a 21-5 record this season.
“You never want to see a coach leave, but I just kind of knew that if the position ever became open, I would want to hire Josh Brooks,” Athletic Director Kenny Bizot said. “We need someone who wants to be at this institution and cares about Mississippi College. He’s been here before, he’s a graduate and is a very good basketball coach.”
Coach Brooks graduated from Mississippi College, where he received a degree in mathematics and spent four years on the basketball team. Coach Brooks stated in his welcome address that he believes that because he wasn’t the best player, he saw the game in a different way than most players.
“I wasn’t a very good player, and looking back now that’s a very good thing because I was able to see the game differently,” Brooks said. “I knew from the time I was 15 years old that I wanted to be a basketball coach, and I was able to get a blueprint of how to do that from Coach Jones.”
Jones was Brooks' coach during his time at Mississippi College. Jones not only coached Brooks in the game of basketball, but also allowed him to grow in his faith.
“He showed me not only what it means to be a coach that’s a Christian, but also to be a Christian coach,” Brooks said.
A large part of the hiring process at Mississippi College is looking at the person himself just as much as what he’s achieved throughout his career. Coach Bizot saw Coach Brooks' character as just as important in making this decision.
“Whether he was 4-21 or 21-4 it wouldn’t have changed my mind,” Bizot said. “I knew that’s the guy I wanted to be here, and I think it was a God thing with the timing, and everything coming together so well to get him to come here.”
Coach Bizot and Brooks’ both stated that they have goals to win, and bring a championship to the school.
“We’re going to work as hard as we can to bring a championship back here,” Brooks said. “When we do, it will be in large part because of the sacrifices you made in me and in this program.”
Another goal Coach Bizot has for this team is to get the community involved more than it has been over the past few years.
“One thing I would like to see immediately is more people engaged at our games; I want to get our students involved and more of our community there,” Bizot said. “Our coach needs to go out on campus and be seen, and raise support with our students and community to get them more involved.”
In his final remarks of his welcome speech, Coach Brooks addressed why he loves coaching the game of basketball, mentioning that it’s not only to win, but develop great men.
“I was just sharing with the guys, the reason why Mississippi College basketball exists, and the reason why I love to coach, is to train men for greatness,” Brooks said. “For me greatness is defined by the bible. The difference is the world doesn’t define greatness the same way that I do. And I’m happy to be in a place that does define it the same way that I do, the same way that Jesus does, which is putting other people first.”
Coach Brooks will spend the offseason building a staff and roster, and will take charge in his first game come winter of 2025.
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