Late last week Billy Gillispie expanded his coaching staff with the announcement that Jeff Kidder would be coming aboard. Kidder resigned from his most recent post at Indian Hills around the same time Gillispie was taking the reins in Lubbock, so this hire might have been in the works for some time. Kidder has spent the majority of his coaching career at the junior college ranks but does have some D1 experience on his resume and has ties (albeit distant) to the great state of Texas.
Kidder got his first coaching job in 1990 as an assistant at West Texas A&M. After assisting the Buffalos to the Division 2 NCAA tournament championship, Kidder accepted the head coaching job at Howard Junior College. Following back to back 20 win seasons at Howard, Kidder left the Lone Star State to accept an assistant coaching job at Nevada-Reno under Pat Foster. After the Wolf Pack finished below .500 in his first season in Reno, Kidder helped the Nevada to winning records the next three years, culminating in a 21 win season in 1996-97. Following the 96-97 campaign, Kidder left Reno to accept the head coach position at Dixie State, a junior college in Utah. After 8 consecutive winning seasons at Dixie State, highlighted by three 30 win seasons and the 2002 National Championship and National JC Coach of the Year award, Kidder left to take over at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Indian Hills is one of the premier junior college basketball programs in the country and during his tenure, Kidder did nothing to change that. During his time at Indian Hills, which lasted from 2005-2011, Kidder compiled a 165-39 record.
Overall, that is a damn impressive resume. Amassing a 432-109 record and a national title in 16 seasons as a head coach speaks for itself. Throw in a Division Two national championship and a successful run at Nevada as an assistant, and it is clear that Coach Kidder can coach and recruit. Although he has not coached in Texas since leaving Howard College in 1993, he has undoubtedly recruited and coached players from the greatest state. And with his impressive track record as a junior college head coach in Texas, Utah and Iowa, there is no doubting that his contacts are far and wide. Successful coaches at junior college programs probably have a more expansive network of basketball contacts than Division 1 coaches. JC coaches are reliant of finding under the radar and between the cracks kids; kids without the grades to play D1 ball or late bloomers who are off the beaten path. The ability to continually field successful teams with the 2 year turnover rate takes remarkable coaching skills and an extensive network of recruiting contacts to continually replenish your roster.
I think it is safe to declare this a great hire. Chris Walker was hired prior to my starting this blog, but I consider that to be home-run hire as well. Gillispie has built the foundation of something special in Lubbock and it will be fun to watch the program grow in the coming years.
"He is a total professional, who has experienced a great deal of success at all levels. He is an outstanding coach, who can recruit and most importantly, he makes a difference in the lives of young people." - Gillispie on Kidder
"He is a total professional, who has experienced a great deal of success at all levels. He is an outstanding coach, who can recruit and most importantly, he makes a difference in the lives of young people." – Kidder on Gillispie
