Darin Spence to Lead Women's Basketball

Colby Community College Athletic Director Kenny Hernandez announced the hiring of Darin Spence as the next women's basketball coach.

"We are thrilled to welcome Darin Spence back to the Trojan family," Hernandez said. "Coach Spence has been successful at every step in his career and has built that success with his hard work and a passion for the student-athlete experience. With his head coaching experience and knowledge of the KJCCC, he will elevate the women's basketball program, and we are excited for the future of Trojans basketball."

Spence comes to Colby with an accomplished resume that spans more than 30 years as a collegiate head coach at NCAA Division I and Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA schools. In addition to serving as the head men's coach and athletic director at Colby from 1995 to 1997, he led women's programs at Miles Community College, Newman University, Barton Community College, New Mexico State University, Cowley Community College, Butler Community College, and Marymount College. Before arriving in Colby this week, he was the associate head coach at the University of Idaho.

Much of Spence's success came in Kansas. He is the program leader in wins (120) at Division II Newman University. As a coach in the Jayhawk Conference, he is the all-time leader in win percentage and a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee at Cowley Community College. He also has multiple conference titles and coach of the year honors.

At the NCAA Division I level, Spence ranks second in wins (110) in the women's program at New Mexico State.

Now, with 602 career wins, he inherits a Trojans team that finished last season with one win in 28 games.

"College athletics is very important to me," said Spence. "I've been a program fixer-upper on many levels and enjoy the daily process. God says we all have great value, and I see it as my role to assist our young student-athletes in finding their place along their journey."

He has overhauled teams before and has no illusions about what it will take to get the Trojans back on track.

"Make no mistake about it. We are going to work extremely hard in this program as we build and heal it. I'm inviting you all right now to join our journey to support us and not wait around to see how it goes. Come invest in us as we invest in our campus, our community, and the lives of our young people. Go Trojans."

In his free time, he said he enjoys living his Christian faith, working out, walking, and golfing.

He began his new role on May 9.