The 2022-2023 men’s basketball team etched a place in Everett Community College history last month by advancing to the NWAC championship game for the first time since 1995 and only the second time in program history. To make a run at next year’s title, EvCC will have to do so without head coach Mike Trautman who has decided to hang up the whistle after seven seasons as the head coach and five seasons prior to that as an assistant with the Trojans.
“I have decided to step away and give somebody else an opportunity to lead our program, said Trautman. The long days and demands this job requires to lead a successful program have taken a toll on me over the past 7 years as the head coach, and I just feel this is a great time for me to take a step back and focus on my main career as a teacher in the community.”
In seven seasons at the helm starting with the 2016-2017 season, taking over for Hall of Fame coach Larry Walker, Trautman has led the Trojans to four North Region Titles, the winningest season in program history (26 wins in 2017-2018), a perfect 14-0 north region record (2018-2019), and amassed an overall record of 142-52, a .732 winning percentage. He has won at least 22 games in four of the seven seasons and has never had a losing season, including three seasons that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mike’s accomplishments on the floor speak for themselves, but what people don’t see every day is the amount of time and effort he has put into this program for 12 months out of the year for the past 12 years, said Athletic Director Garet Studer. It’s hard to win games in the NWAC, so to come out on top of an always competitive north region four consecutive seasons, and advance all the way to the championship game tells you how good of a basketball coach Mike is. What’s even more impressive is the way he’s gone about doing it the right way. Our men’s basketball team routinely had team GPA’s above 3.0, their culture became the standard of the Everett Way, and above all else his teams and assistant coaches were just good people, fun to be around, love the game, and represented Everett Community College in a way that made us all proud.”
In addition to team success, a number of individuals thrived in Trautman’s program moving on to play at the four year level and gaining postseason accolades. Four players were named to the All North Region Defensive team, including Bobby Martin who was also a first teamer and freshman of the year. Four players earned All North Region Second Team honors, and five players were named to the All North Region First Team list including two time recipient and North Region MVP Markieth Brown who also became the EvCC all-time career leading scorer with 1382 points. Additionally, Gio Jackson who sits at 8th on the career all-time scoring list was named the 2018 NWAC Player of the Year. Mike Trautman earned much deserved conference recognition and was named North Region Coach of the year in three consecutive seasons 2018, 2019, and 2020.
His teams were consistently among the best in the conference in both offensive and defensive categories, often leading the NWAC in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounds. The Trojans also had one of the highest offensive field goal percentages despite being atop the conference in three point field goal attempts. The high powered offense combined with stingy defense made them an annual contender for NWAC titles, and many favored EvCC to win it all in 2020 before the pandemic cut the season short in the first round of the NWAC playoffs.
“This program has meant so much to me first as a player and 20 years later as a coach, added Trautman. I care deeply about the program and I hope the next coach continues to take this program to new heights. Larry Walker built an unbelievable foundation that Daniel, Nick and I have continued to build, and this program is in a great position to take that next step.
I want to thank all the student athletes that I have had the pleasure to work with over the past 12 years, along with my coaching staff and college administration. Garet Studer and Sue Snow run a top notch program here at Everett CC across the board, building strong athletic programs and successful student athletes in all facets of the Trojan Nation.”
The search for the 14th coach in the program’s 76 year history will begin immediately with applications being accepted on Everett Community College’s job board. “Mike has meant so much to this program, first as a player, then as an assistant, and finally as a head coach, said Studer. It will be difficult to find someone with as much passion for this program as Mike, but I am confident in the foundation that has been built and where the program is now after Mike’s tenure.”
https://athletics.everettcc.edu/sports/mbkb/2022-23/releases/20230424sfd1ro
