2011-12 Women's Basketball
Record: 20-12 Home: 9-5 Away: 6-5 Neutral: 5-2
2011-12 Women's Basketball Coaches
Will Rider Image
Will Rider
Head Coach - 3rd Season

Coach Rider begins his third season as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Gillette College. Hired back in December of 2008, he began to direct the new program in its inaugural season (2009-2010) and coached a young, all freshmen team to a 12-18 record where they competed well against the teams from Region IX. The Pronghorn women finished the season ranked in the top 20 in 3 NJCAA team statistic categories, finishing #15 in the nation in team F.T. percentage (69%), #15 in the nation in team 3 pt F.G.% (34%), and #16 in the nation in team F.G. percentage (44%).

In that inaugural year the Pronghorns were led by LaTeesha Nez who was named to the All Region IX team, Katie Strandholm who was named to the Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference  team and led the Pronghorns in scoring at 15 ppg, and Nikki Tresch who set numerous scoring records throughout the season including 9 three pointers in a single game in a 30 point performance. The up-tempo style of play with numerous fast breaks and pressure defense attracted tremendous crowds who filled the bleachers on both sides of the gym at South Campus.
Last year, the 2010-2011 Pronghorn team improved on their previous record to 19-12 and finished second in the Central Sub-Region closely behind Casper, whom the Pronghorns split with in their two competitions in just their second season of play.  Once again they continued to put points on the board at record-setting pace and finished in the top 10 in the nation at 77 ppg, including a top 15 finish in 3 pt. field goal percentage.  Once again the Pronghorns were led by Strandholm (16 ppg) and Tresch (15 ppg) who were not only strong players on the court, but excelled in the classroom as well, where they were both selected as NJCAA Academic All Americans, the first Pronghorns to earn such honors in women's basketball.
The coming year of 2011-2012 will prove to be a challenging one for Coach Rider and the women's basketball team.  They continue to set the bar high for themselves and hope to expand upon the 19 wins a year ago and get into the 20 win category for the first time in program history.  However, it will have to come in spite of a grueling game schedule which puts the Pronghorns on the road more than they will be at home and includes some tremendous competition (four top 20 teams in the nation including the defending National Champions.)  With a good recruiting freshman class to compliment 5 returning sophomores, there is no reason to think that the lofty goals set by this year's team cannot be attained despite the difficult schedule.  Regardless, the games are sure to be high scoring, action-packed events that will be thrilling and fun to watch.

A native of Wyoming who hails from Glendo, Coach Rider has Region IX ‘roots' as he played basketball at Western Wyoming for Coach Ken Rochlitz back in the 70's before finishing his college playing career up at Montana State - Northern. He then began his coaching career as a high school coach in Turner, Montana before joining the basketball staff back in his home state of Wyoming at Douglas. He coached for 11 years there where every one of his teams qualified for the state tournament and only twice finishing out of the top 3, winning 3 state titles while playing in 6 title games. During that time he also found time to earn his Master's degree from the University of Wyoming and shortly thereafter, moved to Nebraska to become the head women's basketball coach at Chadron State College.  In 3 seasons there he helped lead the Lady Eagles out of the NAIA ranks in his first season and into the NCAA Division II ranks for the next two seasons where his team won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference while finishing 4th in the nation in FG% averaging 83 ppg. That season's efforts earned him the Coach of the Year award in the RMAC and over his two seasons coaching in the RMAC, CSC went 19-5 while finishing 1st & 2nd in the league setting numerous school records in both team and individual categories.  He then decided to take a leave of absence from teaching & coaching to spend more time with his family & friends and moved to Arizona.  After 10 years of being away from coaching, he decided it was time to get back in again and took over as the head girls basketball coach at Mingus Union HS in Cottonwood, AZ and in their very first season, led them to their winningest season in 25 years. His leadership and direction brought them to the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, and the Final 4 in each of the three seasons there. Shortly thereafter he was hired by Gillette College.

Coach Rider has proven that he is capable of building a championship program by starting with a strong foundation and building from the ground up as indicated by his coaching history in all of his previous programs.  He has once again returned to Wyoming and taken on that same challenge here at Gillette College where he prepares to bring the new Pronghorn Women's Basketball Program to prominence in Region IX as well as the NJCAA.
 
 
Adam Jacobson
Assistant Coach - 1st Season
Adam Jacobson is entering his first year at Gillette College.  Prior to joining the Pronghorn staff he was the men's assistant coach at Jamestown College (JC), in Jamestown, ND for the 2008-2009 season.  At JC Jacobson helped guide the Jimmies to competitive season and strong finish in the Dakota Athletic Conference.
 
A 2001 graduate of Shanley High School in Fargo, ND, Jacobson went on to play basketball, first, at University of Northern Iowa, before finishing up and earning a Bachelor's degree at the University of North Dakota in 2006.
 
In 2007-2008 Jacobson was a Graduate Assistant under Tom Billeter at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.  During his time there, Augustana had their first 20 win season since 1988-1989, finishing the year 22-9 and advancing to the second round of the Division II National Tournament.  In 2006-2007 Jacobson was the assistant at Scottsdale Community College (SCC) in Scottsdale, AZ under Paul Eberhardt.  While at SCC Jacobson helped the Artichokes to one their few winning seasons in school history.
 
From 2009-2011 Jacobson was in employed in the private sector.  Adam currently resides in Gillette, Wyoming.