SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Evangel University director of athletics, Dr. Dennis McDonald announced the hiring of Jim Middleton as the eighth women’s basketball coach in program history on Wednesday.
“I am excited to welcome Jim Middleton to the Evangel family,” said McDonald. “He not only has a proven track record of success in women’s basketball, but he is a man that shares the values of Evangel University.”
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee returns to the basketball sidelines where he has experienced success for over 35 years. Middleton has enjoyed success in Southwest Missouri in women’s basketball at the collegiate and high school levels starting at Missouri State under legendary head coach Cheryl Burnett that included a trip to the 1992 NCAA Final Four.
A native of southwest Missouri, Middleton was the head coach at Southwest Baptist University for 14 seasons where he was a two-time finalist for NCAA National Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2008 and named MIAA Coach of the Year in 2008. He guided the Lady Bearcats to six NCAA tournament appearances. He is still the all-time winningest coach in SBU women’s basketball and holds the highest career winning percentage while impressively holding a 100 percent graduate rate during his 14 years at SBU.
Middleton returned to the high school ranks in 2009, leading the Nixa Lady Eagles to the Class 5 Missouri State Championship. That same season, Middleton was named the Class 5 Coach of the Year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and the Missouri Sports Writers. His teams were ranked in the top 10 of the final Class 5 poll in four out of five seasons.
In 2013, Middleton served as an assistant coach for the Drury Lady Panthers, winning a regional championship and finishing with a 27-4 overall record.
Middleton has also coached at West Plains High School and most recently coached girls track and girls’ tennis at Nixa.
He is a graduate from Missouri State with a degree in physical education and earned his Master of Education in administration.
Coach Middleton and his wife Ronda reside in Nixa and have two sons, James and Jared.
