CBC’s Austin new coach at Williams Baptist
Josh Austin, Central Baptist College’s men’s basketball coach the last five years, is the new men’s coach at Williams Baptist College.
Williams Baptist, in Walnut Ridge, is NAIA Division I. CBC became an NAIA Division II member this year.
“It was the toughest decision I’ve ever made in my life,” said Austin, who was 78-78 for the Mustangs. “I love CBC, I love the people here and president (Terry) Kimbrow has been great to work with and is a great president. The toughest thing is to leave these players. I love these players and I think they will have a good team next year. I’m leaving a very good team.”
Austin, whose CBC teams were 6-3 against Williams Baptist, said he did not seek the job.
“They called me and I was not interested at first,” Austin said. “But after a lot of prayer, my wife and I felt that that was the place God wanted us to move to.”
Williams Baptist is a member of the American Midwest Conference, composed most of Missouri teams.
Austin led CBC to two Elite Eight appearances in the National Christian College Athletic Association, highlighted by a 22-win season in 2008-09. The Mustangs also reached the Elite Eight in the NCCAA in 2005.
Last year, as a member of the Association of Independent Institutions of NAIA Division II, the Mustangs finished second in the conference, had their first NAIA all-conference selection in Will Johnson and a Freshman of the Year selection in Greenbrier’s Matt Velek.
Austin said, because he recruited the current CBC players, that he would not schedule the Mustangs at Williams Baptist next year.
He played two years at CBC before receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas.
“CBC gave me a great opportunity,” he said. “I started straight out of college and was thrown into the fire. On my first team, my oldest player was only two months younger than I was.
“The first two years were tough because we played a lot of higher-level (NAIA and NCAA Division II teams. Our schedule at that time was rated the toughest in the NCCAA,” he said. “The last three years we’ve had a lot of success and it was because of the players. I rode their coattails and it was good ride.”
