LIBERTY, MO- William Jewell College President Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls and Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer announced on Thursday, April 18 that
Chris McCabe has been named the next head coach of the Cardinal men's basketball program. McCabe, who will officially begin his duties on April 29, is the 14
thcoach in program history and replaces Larry Holley who retired after 40 seasons at the helm.
"As we embarked on this process, it was important to identify someone who not only understood the game of basketball, but also someone who appreciated the mission and philosophy of the Jewell community," said Eisenhauer. "The successful candidate needed to be someone with strong leadership skills and a commitment to education who uses the sport of basketball to develop young men of integrity. I believe we found exactly that in
Chris McCabe.
"We are excited to welcome an exemplary educator from the Liberty community into the Jewell family," McLeod Walls added. "Coach McCabe's approach to mentoring and coaching students matches our philosophy and culture perfectly."
McCabe comes to Jewell from nearby Liberty North High School where he started the program and spent nine seasons as the head coach. In total he has called the Liberty community home for nearly 15 years, serving as the assistant basketball coach before the district split the high school into two.
"My family & I are excited to join a prestigious place with such incredible history and a great basketball foundation laid over the past 40 years by Coach Holley," said McCabe. "I am committed to ensuring our basketball program has student-athletes who are productive and positive role models in the classroom, the community and on the court. I want to thank President MacLeod Walls, Athletic Director Tom Eisenhauer and the search committee for this incredible opportunity."
McCabe has seen tremendous success at the helm of the Eagle program, leading his team to an overall record of 158-94 and eight district final appearances in nine seasons. No stranger to a challenge, McCabe took Liberty North from 8-19 in his first season to back-to-back appearances in the Missouri Class 4 Final Four in just three years. The Eagles won five consecutive district championships from 2012-2016, which also included three Class 4 Elite Eight appearances. Under McCabe's guidance 12 athletes have gone on to play or manage basketball at the college level, including the Cardinals own
Robbie Hanson, with numerous other athletes pursuing other sports. His players have been recognized with 19 All-Conference selections & four All-State honors.
Prior to his time with the Eagles, he was the assistant under Roger Stirtz at Liberty High School, helping the Blue Jays to three conference championships while winning more than 75 percent of games. He served as the offensive coordinator for the program, along with helping to develop team policies and code of conduct.
"Chris has made a lasting impact on the Liberty School District and the Liberty community as a whole," Eisenhauer added. "It's been a pleasure getting to know him and his family through this process and I am looking forward to working alongside him in this next chapter of Cardinal men's basketball."
McCabe got his start at Johnson County Community College as a student assistant before heading to Kansas State University where he served under coach Jim Wooldridge for three seasons, assisting closely with scouting and film, preseason workouts, and camps.
He earned his undergraduate degree in social science at Kansas State and a master's in educational administration from Northwest Missouri State. In addition to his coaching duties at Liberty North McCabe also served as the Assistant Principal and is a member of the board for the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. He is married to wife Melynda and is the proud father of four-year old Ellyanna.
"We will strive to be our best at all we do including representing William Jewell College at the highest level," said McCabe. "I am excited about the potential of the College and the basketball program and our progress starts today."
William Jewell will hold a press conference to formally introduce McCabe on Monday, April 22 at 4 p.m. in the Yates-Gill Union, which will air live on the
GLVC Sports Network. Any media members who would like to attend are asked to contact Director of Sports Information,
JaeLynn Ellison.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT CHRIS MCCABE:
"Chris is one of the most knowledgeable, meticulous, and caring coaches that I have ever come in contact with, on any level. He has consistently produced college ready players because of his college level environment. In addition to his culture, his work ethic and integrity are unmatched."
Jimmy Elgas - head men's basketball coach, Henderson State University
"It has been fun to watch Chris grow into one of the finest coaches I have seen in my 35-plus years involved in the sport. Working with hundreds of teams throughout the nation on the college and high school levels, I have no doubt Chris has the knowledge, the passion and the drive to be very successful coach at William Jewell. Knowing the college culture well, there should be no worries about his ability to make the transition. His style will allow for that with the players from the first day he is with them."
Rob Miller – Conference Commissioner, Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference
"I was honored to be a part of the interview process for the head basketball coach at Jewell and I continue to be extremely impressed with Coach McCabe. He has built a winning culture at Liberty North and I'm excited about his strategic vision for the Jewell program. Coach McCabe's mission is to create a culture which allows student-athletes to thrive on the court, in the classroom, and develop lifelong skills that transcend basketball. Coach McCabe is a great hire for the Jewell basketball program and the Liberty community."
Cam Cooper '06, William Jewell Basketball alumnus
