Bio

Jeremy Coombs is in his fourth season as the head coach of the men’s basketball program, entering the 2024 campaign at 77-25 overall and 51-21 in the rugged KJCCC and entering his 18th season overall in collegiate coaching at 305-227.

Last year Coombs guided the Cougars to the program’s first ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball national title and the College’s 60th team crown overall.

The national title was the completion of the 2023-24 trifecta of championships, winning the KJCCC with a 23-1 record for the program’s 10th conference title before capturing the program’s 5th Region 6/Plains District title.

The Cougars went into the preseason ranked No. 19, took a loss in week four, but then slowly transitioned into the No. 1 team beginning in week thirteen in finishing the year on a program second best 27-game win streak completing the season with a program best 36-1 overall record including 21-0 away from their home court.

Post-season accolades rolled in for Coombs including the KJCCC, the District, and the National Coach of the Year for an additional program first, as well as, being named the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) two-year Coach of the Year.

In addition to Coombs’ post-season accolades, seven of the Cougars earned KJCCC honors including Cooper Jackson earning his second straight Defensive Player of the Year. Fellow sophomores Lajae Jones and Myles Thompson secured first-team selections with Mozae Downing-Rivers joining Jackson on the second-team list while Ring Malith, Brent Moss, and Keandre Kindell claimed honorable mention distinctions

Thompson and Jones continued post-season honors in being named to the All-Region/District Tournament Team, as well as, on the All-National Tournament team along with Malith. Jones also was named the Most Valuable Player twice, the first in the Region/District Tournament followed by the National Tournament honor to eventually conclude his Barton career as a 2nd Team NJCAA Division I All-America selection marking the 17th overall and first for the program since 2015. Thompson also garnered additional recognition following the conclusion of the season receiving the NJCAA’s 2024 Champion Award exemplifying his resilience, excellence, and passion as inspiration to overcome challenges.

The 2022-2023 year provided a thrilling but bittersweet end to the season as Coombs’ 20th ranked Cougars fell short in the Region VI Championship. Winners of nine straight heading into the title game, the loss concluded the campaign at 24-9.

Picked 7th in the pre-season coaches’ poll, Barton surpassed expectations by finishing tied for second in the conference standings at 17-7. Although not receiving an at-large bid to the NJCAA Tournament despite reaching the Region title game, the Cougars were also the lone team to sweep the regular season conference champion.

Four Cougars received 2023 Division I All-KJCCC/All-Region VI recognition, led by Cougar Downing’s repeat 1st team selection. Freshman and Cougar’s cousin Mozae Downing-Rivers and sophomore Joseph Locandro landed on the 2nd team as freshman Cooper Jackson being named the Defensive Player of the Year.

Coombs’ first season at the helm produced an 11-13 seventh place standing of the rugged Jayhawk Conference, concluding the season at 17-14 overall. A season of highs and lows, the Cougars roared out of the gates winning their opening six games including an overtime thrilling upset neutral court victory over 12th ranked Odessa College. The hot start leaped Barton into the top-20 of the NJCAA poll before climbing to as high as 12th a week later.

Cougar Downing was the lone Barton player earning 2021-22 post-season honors in being selected to the 2nd team of the All-KJCCC and All-Region distinctions.

Coombs came to Barton from Neosho County Community College where he spent the last 14 seasons guiding the Panthers. Following a pair of 15 win seasons, Coombs’ arrival revitalized and rebuilt the program in leaving the school as the all-time winningest coach, Coombs’ squads posted a 228-203 overall record.

Under Coombs, the Panther program produced six NJCAA All-Americans, two KJCCC Players of the Year, thirty NCAA Division I players, twenty-four All-Conference players, seventeen All-Region players, and thirteen former players playing basketball professionally.

In 2016, Coombs’ Panthers went 30-6 in breaking several program records including the most single season wins. Named the 2016 Region VI Coach of the Year, Coombs’ squad marched through the playoffs capturing its first-ever Region VI Championship by defeating Hutchinson 66-58. Seeded 9th in its NJCAA Division I Tournament debut appearance, Neosho County won its first game before bowing out to 8th seeded Gillette 73-72.

Coombs began his coaching career as an assistant at Sacred Heart High School before spending the next three summers helping with the USBL Kansas Cagerz under Francis Flax. Coombs then assisted Flax at Brown Mackie College.

Prior to Neosho County, Coombs’ Jayhawk coaching experience includes stints at Highland Community College and Pratt Community College as an assistant coach. Working under current Barton Athletic Director Trevor Rolfs at Pratt CC for two seasons, Coombs helped guide the Beavers to a 24-8 record in 2007 finishing second in the Jayhawk West that season.

Off the floor, the Panthers had 10 Academic All-America recipients with the two most recent season’s teams ranking in the top five nationally at 5th overall with a 3.37 GPA in 2019 and the 2020 squad achieving a nation’s 3rd best 3.45 GPA.

Coombs has also held a firm commitment to community service as the Panthers have been involved in over 250 hours of volunteerism, averaging 12-15 hours per student-athlete.

Graduating from Topeka’s Hayden High school, Coombs continued his playing career at Labette Community College, moving on to NCAA Division I Nicholls State University before returning home to Kansas finishing his playing career at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Married to the former Lindsay Krehbiel of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, the Coombs family includes three boys, Tye, Jackson, and Carter.