Barton Coach Lindley takes assistant job at University of Arizona
After guiding Barton County Community College women's basketball team to one of its best season ever, head coach Chance Lindley is moving on to become an assistant at the University of Arizona. He will be part of a new coaching staff at the Pac 10 school with Niya Butts taking over the women's basketball program. Lindley, who coached Barton for just one season, led the Cougars to a 34-4 mark this past year and a 4th place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament – both bests in school history.
"I didn't apply anywhere and I was happy here," Lindley of Barton. "It was a surprise. Niya was the associate head at Kentucky and I got to know her over the last six months," Lindley said. "I wasn't looking to leave and the opportunity came from the outside in."
"Chance was an outstanding coach at Barton, and I hate to see him leave", athletic director Kurt Kohler said. "He contributed so much to the Barton Athletic Department and to the lives of his players. This move will be very good for him, his family, and his career."
The Cougars search for a new coach is already underway. Barton hopes to have a new coach in place in the next couple of weeks.
Butts recruited some players at Barton while she was at Kentucky. She had been at Kentucky for 5 seasons, also spending time at Michigan State and Tennessee Tech. Butts played collegiately as Tennessee, winning a pair of NCAA Championships with the Volunteers under legendary coach Pat Summitt.
"You want to work with someone you believe in; She is a quality person and a quality coach," Lindley said of Butts. "It's the PAC 10 and the PAC 10 is one of the top conferences in the United States. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity."
Lindley's only season at Barton was a successful one, leading the team to a tie for the most wins in school history at 34 as well as a tie for the best finish ever at the NJCAA Tournament with the 4th place effort. Barton was 14-2 in the Jayhawk West, winning the West, and had winning streaks of 16 and 18 games. The 18-game winning streak in a single-season is the 4th best all-time – 16 games is 7th best. Barton won 28 games over a 2-year stretch as the Cougars finished the 2007 season with 12 wins while Lindley was an assistant for then Coach Lane Lord. That is the 2nd longest streak all-time at Barton.
"It was a very hard decision to leave Barton." Lindley said "With the opportunity I got at Arizona, people think it is a no-brainer, but my family was happy here," said Lindley. "We have a great recruiting class coming in and we have great freshmen coming back. I think this team can be as successful as last year's."
"He will be a tough coach to replace," Kohler said. He broke several Barton coaching records, recruited quality student-athletes, and was always a friendly person to be around. I wish him the best of luck in Arizona."