Junsie Cotten takes over as Panola College basketball head coach.

"Junsie" Cotten will become the next Head Basketball Coach at Panola College. 

With the resignation of former head coach Jacob Wonders, Cotten will begin recruitment and building immediately to complete the team for the 2010-2011 season.

Cotten comes to Panola with seven years of head coaching experience.  From 1999-2001, at the helm at Midland College, he led the Chapparals to a 55-16 overall record, a 6th place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament, an NJCAA Region V Championship, and a WJAC Conference Championship.  He was selected Region V Coach of the Year in 2000.  His last five years, he has been the head coach at Lincoln Trails College in Illinois where in 2007 he captured the NJCAA Region XXIV Championship and was selected Region XXIV Coach of the Year.  In 2009 his team finished Region XXIV runner ups.

“We are excited about having Coach Cotten as part of our coaching staff and leading our men’s basketball program,” noted Vice President of Student Services Don Clinton.  “He brings a lot of experience and knowledge to our program and with his experience as a head coach in Texas already, he understands the competitiveness that Region XIV brings to the court.”

“I am excited about joining the Panola College family and becoming the Head Men’s Basketball Coach.  I’m looking forward to competing in what is traditionally considered to be one of the toughest conferences in the country.  I want to thank the Panola College administration for this wonderful opportunity, and I am appreciative to Lincoln Trail for the last five years for their support.”

Prior to Lincoln Trail, Cotten served as an assistant at Eastern Oklahoma State College and assistant at the University of Texas El Paso.  He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Utah State, then an assistant at Eastern Utah, before becoming the assistant coach at Midland College and two years later the head coach.

"Junsie" was a two year letterman at Utah State after transferring from College of Eastern Utah where he was All-Conference and All-Region.