Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: MBU names Ray Farrell as men’s basketball coach
MBU names Ray Farrell as men’s basketball coach
July 16, 2007
Ray Farrell, assistant men’s basketball coach at Philadelphia University for the last three years, has been named head men’s basketball coach at Missouri Baptist University, officials announced July 16.
Ray Farrell
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to coach at Missouri Baptist University and to continue the tradition of success in the basketball program," Farrell said. "It is a blessing to be a part of an athletic department that has a family atmosphere and is unified in its pursuit to glorify God through athletics and to accomplish the mission of the university."
The appointment marks Farrell’s first head coaching position at the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) level; however, his experience in collegiate basketball is vast.
“We’re excited about the wealth of experience and excitement coach Farrell brings to the men’s basketball program,” said MBU Director of Athletics Tom Smith. “He and his family will be a welcome addition to the Athletic Department and Missouri Baptist University family.”
During his 26-year coaching career, Farrell has served as head coach at both the University of Texas at Dallas and at McLennan Community College. From 1995-1998, Coach Farrell served as an associate head coach at Master’s College, which, like MBU, is a NAIA Christian institution. In addition, Farrell has worked as an assistant coach under head coach Roland Massimino at several institutions, most notably the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Cleveland State University and Villanova University.
Farrell’s coaching experience also goes beyond the collegiate level. He has worked as a personal trainer and coached NBA athlete Rolando Blackman, formerly of the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks.
While at Phila. U, Farrell has worked under the helm of head coach Herb Magee, who has won more games than any other men's basketball coach in the NCAA Division II level.
“I’m sorry to lose him,” Magee said. “He had the respect of the players, the university, and the coaches in the league. He was everything you would hope for in an Assistant Coach and will do a terrific job at Missouri Baptist.”
Farrell takes over a basketball team that finished 14-15 overall and 6-6 in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) during the 2006-2007 season. That finish earned the Spartans fourth place of seven teams in the AMC, with one player earning first-team All-Conference honors. The Spartans will be looking to return to the success of their 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons, in which they won the AMC regular season title and qualified for the NAIA Division I national tournament. The Spartans also won the AMC post-season tournament in 2004-2005. Farrell replaces former coach Tony Tompkins, who has accepted the position of associate head men’s basketball coach at Judson College.
Missouri Baptist University's seventeen varsity teams compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Hundreds of scholar athletes daily participate in the MBU Athletic Program. Those students have led a host of MBU teams to national championships. MBU, a premier Christian University in Saint Louis, is committed to enriching the lives of the student athletes spiritually, academically and athletically and subscribes to the five NAIA character initiatives: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship.
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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