Lane Lord's Women's Basketball Camps
Head Coach Lane Lord
Lane Lord
Head Women's Basketball Coach
Lane Lord enters his fifth season as head women’s basketball coach at Pittsburg State University. Lord brings a fast-paced, fan-friendly style of basketball to Pittsburg and with his proven track record of success, the future of Pitt State women’s basketball is bright.
Lord’s first season at PSU was a transition season. The Lord led Gorillas compiled a 10-17 record and finished ninth in the MIAA. Great changes took place in the program in that first season which led to a record-breaking change in his second season.
Lord’s Gorillas posted the best turnaround in school history in the 2008-09 season. The team improved to a 20-9 overall record and a 14-6 record in league play to finish third in the MIAA, the team’s highest finish since taking a share of the league title in 1996. Along the way the team played some thrilling games, including a home three overtime upset of No. 9 Washburn, and built a strong fan base that went to Kansas City to watch them defeat Nebraska-Omaha in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. Junior Nicole McCombs became the first Gorilla to earn first-team All-MIAA honors under Lord, and Lord himself was named the MIAA Coach of the Year for engineering the great turnaround.
Lord came to Pitt State from Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., where he directed the Cougars’ women’s basketball program for three seasons from 2005-07. Prior to his time at BCCC, he served as head girls’ basketball coach at Wichita Heights High School for nine years (1996-2004).
While at Barton County, he compiled a 77-21 (.786) overall record, posting 22 or more victories each year. He compiled a 141-62 (.695) record in nine seasons at Wichita Heights, including an 89-8 (.918) record and a pair of Kansas Class 6A state titles during his final four years at the post.
In his final season at Barton County in 2007, Lord directed the Cougars to a 27-3 overall record and a share of the Jayhawk Conference West regular season championship. His squad won 24 of its last 25 games and finished the season on a 12-game winning streak. The Cougars, who posted a 15-1 conference record, posted 15 wins against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the NJCAA Top 25 poll.
Prior to taking over the BCCC program in 2005, the Cougars compiled a 35-59 (.372) record in their three previous seasons. In his initial year at BCCC, he led the team to a 22-12 record, which included an eight-game improvement in the win column from the previous year’s campaign. In 2006, his BCCC squad posted a 28-6 record, ranked as high as No. 8 in the NJCAA national poll and finished second in the Jayhawk Conference West standings.
During his three-year tenure at BCCC, 15 players signed NCAA Division I or Division II scholarships. Seven players from his 2005-06 squad signed Division I scholarships, while three players from his most recent squad signed with Division I programs during the early signing period in November.
During his tenure at Wichita Heights High School, the Falcons won back-to-back Class 6A state titles in 2002-03 and four straight City League championships (2001-04). In 2003, he was named the Kansas Girls Coach of the Year for all classes by the National Federation of High School Coaches, the Kansas Coaches Association, and the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, Lord twice was named the Class 6A Coach of the Year (2002-03).
“As a coach, you always strive to challenge yourself, and coming to Pittsburg State University has been a tremendous opportunity to coach in the best women’s basketball conference in NCAA Division II,” Lord said. “This also has been a great opportunity for my wife, daughter and I to join the Gorilla family. I’m excited about the challenges that lie ahead.”
Lord, a native of Waco, Texas, earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and special education from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., in 1993. He earned a master’s degree in school leadership from Friends University in Wichita in 2003.
Lord is married to the former Stacy Shobe from Conway Springs, Kan. The couple have a 10-year-old daughter, Logan.
