College of Idaho head men’s basketball coach Colby Blaine recently announced changes to his staff – including the return of former Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Emanuel Morgan, as his top assistant.
Morgan, a point-guard for the Yotes from 2013-17, returns to Caldwell after three seasons on the staff at Division II Western Oregon. “Manny” served one year assisting with player development and spent the past two years as WOU’s graduate assistant while getting his Masters’ Degree in Educational Technology.
“Hiring Coach Morgan has quickly become one of the highlights of my career,” Blaine said. “Manny is one of the greatest winners to ever put on a C of I jersey and made a huge impact on our program, the College and community during his time here as a player. It is special having an individual who not only understands everything we are about, but literally helped develop the program we see today. I have been following Manny over the last couple years as he began his coaching career at Western Oregon and have been impressed with his eagerness to learn, his ability to connect with players and his confidence to lead. Manny is without a doubt one of the brightest up-and-coming coaches in the country and will be relentless in his pursuit to positively impact our program.”
A 3-year starter for the Coyotes, Morgan earned All-CCC and CCC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017, leading the Coyotes to the second-round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament and was a part of the 2014 and 2015 squads that won the CCC regular-season and tournament championships. He is one of only three players in program history with two seasons with 170 or more assists and ranks No. 2 all-time in assists (560), No. 5 all-time in steals (212), while sharing the all-time games played mark with 134.
Fellow C of I alum, Matt Meyers makes the transition on the bench this season – moving from a student-assistant role to an assistant coach position.
Meyers was the starting post for the 2019 C of I team that advanced to the NAIA Division II national semifinals and tied a school record with 31 wins. A vocal leader on and off the court, he averaged eight points and six rebounds during his lone season as a Coyote player.
“I am positive if you look up the word “energy” in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Coach Meyers,” Blaine remarked. “He brings with him an incredible story that will impact many for years to come. Having the opportunity to coach Matt during the 2018-19 season was special. He was a tremendous piece of our Final Four appearance and conference tournament championship. The knowledge and experience he gained as a player and now a graduate of the College will go a long way in mentoring our current players. I am excited to watch Matt grow as a coach and know he has a very bright future in this business.”
The Coyotes will also add James Jansen to the bench, making the move after spending the past three seasons as an assistant at Simpson University in California. The Sacramento State grad served as the head of the Redhawks junior varsity program, while working for the EBA Pharaohs Club program in Sacramento.
“I am thrilled to have Coach Jansen join our program,” Blaine said. “Coming from Simpson University, James has a fantastic understanding of the NAIA and our day to day operations. It did not take long to see why he has created a great reputation in the basketball community over the last couple years. James is ultra-creative and has a vision for success that is contagious for everyone he works with. He has already shown over the last few weeks here that he can wear many hats. I look forward to working together as we continue to solidify the College of Idaho as the nation’s premier NAIA program.”
The new staff around Blaine heads into the 2020-21 season with high expectations after closing last year ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Division II and will take a 25-game win streak into the new campaign.
“I am thrilled with the addition of our three new assistant coaches,” Blaine said. “Our program has a long history of tremendous assistant coaches and I believe we have hit a home run with our 2020-21 staff. Two of our additions were former players and graduates of the College. You cannot put a price on having individuals who understand our culture and the standards that we hold ourselves to. Both Coach Morgan and Coach Meyers played a major role on the court in helping us become a top-ranked program last season and will continue to make a positive impact on the sideline. I believe great coaches bring positive energy every day and work with a creative mind. I have no doubt our staff will be great examples of these characteristics.”
https://yoteathletics.com/news/2020/9/2/morgan-named-top-assistant-for-mens-basketball-squad.aspx
