Midland College announces Coach Chris Craig’s resignation
Midland College announced March 21 that men’s basketball coach Chris Craig resigned for personal reasons.
Craig could not be reached for comment.
A two-paragraph press release of Craig’s resignation provided to the Reporter-Telegram said Midland College will begin the process of hiring the next men’s basketball coach immediately.
“We thank coach Craig for his two seasons at Midland College and wish him well in his future endeavors,” wrote Midland College Athletics Director Forrest Allen in the release.
Midland College announced March 21 that men’s basketball coach Chris Craig resigned for personal reasons.
Craig could not be reached for comment.
A two-paragraph press release of Craig’s resignation provided to the Reporter-Telegram said Midland College will begin the process of hiring the next men’s basketball coach immediately.
“We thank coach Craig for his two seasons at Midland College and wish him well in his future endeavors,” wrote Midland College Athletics Director Forrest Allen in the release.
Allen reiterated the college’s desire to find Craig’s replacement during an interview with the Reporter-Telegram on Thursday night.
The announcement capped off a day in which it appears Craig wrote about end-of-the-world prophecies and other conspiracy theories on his Twitter account and in a personal blog, which contained 31 hand written pages, all dated on March 20.
The Craig era lasted two seasons at Midland College. He compiled an overall record of 37-18 during that time. This past season, the Chaparrals finished the year with a 19-8 overall record and 10-6 mark in league play. Midland College just missed qualifying for the NJCAA Region V Tournament with a fifth-place finish in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
Craig didn’t take the Chaps into the postseason, marking the first time since 1997 that the program failed to reach the regional tournament during back-to-back seasons.
This past season was also a roller coaster ride in which the Chaps battled inconsistent play during the early part of the WJCAC schedule, saw the suspension and then dismissal of freshman point guard Kiwi Gardner for violation of team rules and then experienced a season-ending Achilles injury to one of the team’s best players, sophomore forward Tiegbe Bamba.
During Craig’s first season, the Chaps missed out on the postseason in part because of player suspensions and the forfeiture of two WJCAC games after the team got into a brawl at Howard College late in the year. MC finished 6-8 in league play that season.
Craig, the 13th coach in the program’s history, came to Midland College from the University of Northern Colorado, where he was an assistant coach. Craig also had been the head coach at the College of Eastern Utah and played collegiately at Arizona Western College before transferring to UTEP in 2002 to play for then head coach Billy Gillispie.
