Talladega College Head Coach Chris Wright, who was hired on July 21, announced the hiring of Cody San Miguel and Rodney Clarke on Tuesday morning.
San Miguel comes to Talladega from Texas State University. During his three years with the Bobcats San Miguel was an integral part of their success. In the 2016-17 season, he helped Texas State finish 22-14 to achieve the first winning season in program history in 14 years. It also marked the program’s first postseason tournament appearance in 20 years with a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Bobcats also reached the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to come within a victory of making the NCAA Tournament. Texas State’s win total gave the program its second 20-win season in program history since becoming a Division I program.
“We are extremely fortunate to get such a quality coach and person as Coach San Miguel,” said Head Coach Chris Wright. “Serving under Coach Kaspar at Texas State has definitely prepared him for this opportunity. He possesses a tireless work ethic and is extremely professional. I love the passion and energy that he will bring to our program on a daily basis. There is no question that he makes us significantly better.”
Prior to Texas State, he served as the head coach at Hill Country Christian School in San Marcos where he led Hill Country to the second round of the TAPPS playoffs and an undefeated district record in 2014-15.
He also served as a director and coach for the Hoops 101 Basketball Camp for youth that ranged from second-12 grades from 2011-15 and coached multiple teams with Hoops 101 Select Basketball program during the same span.
San Miguel began his coaching career after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2007-11. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Health and Wellness Promotion from Texas State University, along with his Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Mobile native Rodney Clarke makes his way to Tornado Alley coming off a successful 2017-18 campaign as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State. The Lakers posted a 25-8 overall record and were the runner-up in the in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference earning them a trip to Division II NCAA Tournament. They advanced to the Midwest Region Semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Ferris State. Clarke was also ranked at number 24 on the list of Top 25 NCAA D2 Assistant Coaches by CoachStat.net in 2018.
“Coach Clarke is a winner that has won big everywhere that he has been,” said Coach Wright. As a coach he has made five consecutive national tournaments, and that is our expectation here. I know for sure that he is going to play a big role in helping this program get back to Kansas City. Coach is a tremendous person that has a great feel for coaching and for people. This is just one of the reasons why he is a great recruiter.”
Before his time at LSSU Clarke served as an assistant coach at his alma mater the University of the Cumberlands for four seasons (2013-17). While at the Cumberlands, Clarke was instrumental in the Patriots making a 2016 NAIA Elite along with earning two NAIA National Tournament Sweet 16 appearances. During his four seasons at the Cumberlands, the program qualified for four consecutive national tournaments while registering an 89-44 overall record. In 2017 he was Ranked number 9 on Top 25 Assistant Coaches at Small Colleges by CoachStat.net.
He started his playing career at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California where he led the team in scoring at almost 15.6 points per game. After one season there he attended University of the Cumberlands and was a two year captain while starting every game for three consecutive years. In each of those seasons the patriots qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.
Clarke earned a Bachelor of Science in Movement Leisure Studies and a Master of Business Administration both from the University of the Cumberlands.
“I have a high level of respect and trust in both Coach San Miguel and Coach Clarke,” concluded Coach Wright. “I could not be more excited to work with both of them in the upcoming season. They are going to help us win at a high level while helping our student-athletes grow as young men. Not only are they both great hires for our program, but they are great hires for our institution as a whole.”
