On Wednesday, Truman State University in Missouri announced the hiring of Troy University assistant basketball coach Mike Worley as the school’s new head men’s basketball coach.

Worley was the longest tenured coach in the Sun Belt Conference prior to his departure from Troy. He spent the past 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Troy, helping the Trojans win two Sun Belt Championships and make two NCAA Tournament appearances during that span. Worley spent five years as head of basketball operations at Troy before being promoted to assistant coach on the court. 

Worley becomes the 14th head coach in Truman State history. The Truman Bulldogs are a Division II school that plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bulldogs began play in 1919 and have made a total of 10 NCAA Tournaments since moving up from the NAIA in the 1950s. Over the past three seasons, Truman State has gone 44-42. 

“I am beyond grateful to join Truman State University as the head men’s basketball coach,” said Worley. “Thank you to President Thomas, Signe Coombs, and the search committee for the opportunity. Truman is an institution with national name recognition and a tradition of excellence. My wife Sarah and our four kids are excited to bring a winning attitude on and off the court to an already strong athletics brand that competes for championships.”

Worley was a star basketball player in high school, scoring more than 2,300 points during his career. He went on to play college basketball at Coffeyville Community College, Creighton and Denver. He scored more than 1,100 points during his college career, was the inaugural NJCAA David Rowlands Award recipient as the Male Athlete of the Year in 1993 and earned All-American honors. 

From 2002 until 2005, Worley served as athletics director at Coffeyville before taking his first coaching job as an assistant at Arkansas-Forth Smith in 2005. The 2006 Fort Smith team won the NJCAA National Championship. He coached at the professional level in 2006 for the Arkansas Aeros of the ABA and the Arkansas Impact of the PBL in 2007. Worley was an assistant coach at Kilgore Community College until 2013, joining the staff at Troy for the 2013-2014 season.