At the end of the season, Coach Mike Show will put away the clipboard and retire from coaching men’s basketball at Baptist Bible College. The 1992 BBC graduate has been at the helm of the program for the past 20 years, making him the coach whom held the position the longest for men’s basketball, in the school’s history. On Wednesday night Coach Show will be honored, immediately following the women’s home game at 6:00 pm.

"I have enjoyed coaching," said Show, "but at this point in my life, it’s time to step down." He relayed to his team that he wants to be able to spend more time with his wife and 6 kids, including J.C., who will be heading off to Bucknell University in the fall, to play basketball.

"I sat down and looked at the (Bucknell’s) schedule, and all their conference games are on Wednesdays and Saturdays", which is on the same day as BBC’s conference games.

"Coach Show’s leadership of our men’s basketball program has been outstanding in disciplining men for godly leadership," said President Jim Jeffery. "He is greatly respected at BBC and by the other athletic directors of the CSAC conference."

"He will continue to lead as athletic director, overseeing the coaching staff, the new Recreation Center, and our BBC summer sports camps."

Show was named the head coach of the Defenders in 1994 and went 22-10 in his first season, taking over for legendary BBC head coach, Jim Huckaby. Immediately, Show’s impact was felt, as his team made a name for themselves with their hard-nosed defense, their attention to the little details of the game, and their grittiness. In his first year, Show took his team to the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament (NCCAA). Though it would be one of the few accolades to escape him, Show would never win a NCCAA National Title, yet his teams were a regular in the year end tournament.

As Baptist Bible College grew and its athletics programs began to expand, the school started to make a transition into the NCAA Division III. It was during those times that Show had the most success. From 2004-2008, he went 81-31 (.723%), including two, 20 plus win seasons. In 2005-06, his team decided to compete in the NCCAA National Tournament for the final time. Winning in a series of nail-biting games, his team, who was the top seed, advanced to the finals. It would be a heartbreaking outcome, as the Defenders would lose on a tip in at the buzzer.

After making the decision as a program to forgo any NCCAA opportunities, Show and his team focused on a much larger goal: winning the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) and earning a trip to the NCAA Divisions III National Tournament. After reaching the conference semi-finals in 06-07, the team won the conference the next season and made its first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Dance. Despite drawing the eventual National Runner Up, Show’s team had a game plan After struggling in the first half, they stuck with the game plan and made it a game in the final twenty minutes. Ursinus College proved to be too strong down the stretch, but it is a game that will always be remembered.

After conquering the NEAC, Show and the athletics teams at Baptist Bible College moved to a much more competitive conference, the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Again, in Show’s first season there, his team made a name for themselves by slipping into the conference playoffs and pulling off the first round upset.

Coach Show 2012

The past few seasons have been a challenge for Coach Show, as his teams have not had the success quite like the teams that have come before them. Competition in the CSAC has been much tougher than any other conference the Defenders have been in. Determined to see his players succeed on the floor, Show spent countless hours on the recruiting trail. In his final year, he is seeing his hard work pay off. His team recently pulled off perhaps the biggest win in program history, as they earned a convincing win over the #2 team in NCAA III, Cabrini College, 106-97..

Going into the 2013-14 season, Show had amassed a record of 263-272. He has won 10 NCCAA East Regional Championships, and one NEAC Championship. Along with being named NCCAA East Region Coach more times than one can count, he was named the NEAC Coach of the Year for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 season. In 2005-06, the NCCAA recognized him as the Division II Coach of the Year. Show has also coached 9 NCCAA All-Americans.

While his credentials are impressive, Show’s standard of success is not measured by the number of accolades he has received, but by the number of players that he has helped become true men of character. There is not one practice that has gone by where Show has not challenged his players in some area of life. The fan in the stands just watching a game would see him as a tough coach, always full of energy, never afraid to tell a player what he is thinking. That fan does not see the hours away from his family Show spends aside from practice investing in each player’s life.

Despite his busy schedule as the Athletic Director of BBC, coaching basketball, and fathering 6 wonderful kids, Show blocks off a half hour of his schedule to meet with each player and talk about basketball, and more importantly, what is going on in their lives. Not many coaches can say that they do this.

It is not uncommon for Show to receive a letter from a former player, thanking him for being tough and honest with them while they were one of his players. In fact, he received a letter a few days ago from a former player who was very talented, but often clashed with Show. In the letter, the former player confessed that he now understood why he was hard on him and the importance of those life lessons now that he is married and coaching his own team.

Coach and George

Many of Show’s former and current players would do anything for their coach, just like he would do for them. They would drop whatever they were doing if coach needed something, no matter what the distance. One can find that nearly all of his players have grown up as Godly men and are loving fathers. To Coach Show, that is how he will measure his time as the head coach of Baptist Bible College.

Show has announced that assistant coach, Joel Nietz, will take over the program next year. Nietz, a math teacher at Lackawanna Trail, has spent 10 years as the assistant coach at Baptist Bible College.

"Coach Show and I have been coaching together for 10 seasons and it’s difficult to see him step away from coaching because of his passion for what he does" ,said Nietz. "I am excited for the opportunity to step in and lead the Defender program and continue its tradition of developing Godly leaders through the game of basketball."

Despite playing baseball at Defiance College, Nietz has a mind for the game of basketball and will have no trouble carrying on the traditions of the Defender basketball program. He has spent countless hours watching film for each and every game and is in charge of the scouting report the players receive before each contest. Neitz also spends time during practices working individually with the guards, looking to improve their defense and provide them with more weapons on the offensive end.

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