Jim Middleton begins his first season as an assistant basketball coach for the Lady Panthers. His primary duties will include overseeing the offense, post players, and scouting/game preparation of opponents.
Coach Middleton has enjoyed a highly successful career at the collegiate and high school levels. His most recent coaching tenure was at powerhouse Nixa High School where he was head coach for the past five seasons. In 2009, Nixa won the Missouri Class 5 State title and finished ranked 15th in the nation for all high school teams in the United States. During his time at Nixa, he produced eight collegiate players, including current Lady Panther Bethanie Funderburk, and 2013 graduate Abby Bracker.
Prior to Nixa, Coach Middleton enjoyed tremendous success at the collegiate level. He was head coach at Southwest Baptist University for 14 seasons. During this time, he led the Bearcats to 6 NCAA tournament appearances. Middleton was also nominated twice as a finalist for the NCAA Division II Basketball Coach of the Year (2008 and 2001) and named the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2008. He also has the most wins of any basketball coach at Southwest Baptist University. Overall, he has total of 372 wins at the high school and collegiate levels.
Coach Middleton was also the Director of Athletics at Southwest Baptist University from 2001-2005. He oversaw the 16 sports offered and was also on the President’s Cabinet. During this tenure, he helped develop the Jane and Ken Meyer Sports Center.
Before he was head coach at SBU, Middleton was a top assistant at Missouri State University women’s basketball from 1991-1994. He was instrumental in helping the Lady Bears to the NCAA Final Four in 1992, a sweet 16 birth in 1993 and into the NCAA second round in 1994. He was also a graduate assistant coach at Missouri State in 1985-87.
Middleton’s first head coaching job was at West Plains from 1989-1991 where he was named the SCA Coach of the Year. He was also head girls’ track coach in 1991.
Coach Middleton is well known for building and reviving programs into contenders. He has coached professional, all-American, all-State, and all-conference players in his coaching career.
Jim Middleton is a 1985 magna cum laude graduate of Missouri State University and has a M.S. in Education Administration from Missouri State University (1987). A native of Nixa, Coach Middleton was a four sport letterman and a standout player for the State Champion Nixa Eagles in 1978 and 3rd place champions in 1979.
Coach Middleton and his wife Ronda reside in Nixa and have two boys-James 21, and Jared 17.
Middleton will continue to teach at Nixa High School and be their head girls’ track coach.
