Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)
Back on July 18th, I posted on X that the Oklahoma City State University job was done and that they were hiring a current NAIA head coach. I then went away on vacation and forgot to follow-up on this one. Anyway, 10 days later, in what is now the worst kept secret in the dirt world, OCU has hired Central Baptist head coach Sam Kohnke to lead their men’s basketball program. Also, I have heard that CBC has moved quickly here, and it sounds like they will hire Northwestern Oklahoma State assistant Cody Henson as Kohnke’s replacement.
Kohnke had been at Central Baptist for the past four seasons where he went 91-38. In 2024-25, he led the Mustangs to an impressive 27-6 overall record and a 17-1 mark in AMC play. The team earned a share of the regular season title and advanced to its third straight conference championship game under his leadership.
In 2023-24, Kohnke’s squad finished 28-7 overall and went 12-2 in the AMC, winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles. They made a great run to the NAIA National Quarterfinals before falling to the eventual national champs, Freed-Hardeman.
Henson has been on the Northwestern Oklahoma State staff for the past four years. Prior to that, he spent two seasons at Elevation Prep (IN) as the Director/Head National High School Basketball Coach, and also worked as the Head Basketball Coach/Director of United Prep (FL). Henson also has experience on the grassroots circuit, coaching with both Spiece Indy Heat and the Georgia Stars.
More on both of these moves once they become official.
