Coach Bishop		Jon Bishop Head Men's Basketball Coach bishop47@stmary.edu (913) 758-6311 A.A., Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College B.A., Central Methodist University; M.S. Education, Northwest Missouri State

Jon Bishop was named the head coach of the men's basketball program at the University of Saint Mary in April of 2008. Coach Bishop was brought to USM to restore the excellence it achieved after winning the KCAC Championship and qualifying for the NAIA National Tournament in 2001. Seen as one of the best young up-and-coming coaches in the college ranks, Bishop has proved those predictions accurate while at the helm of the Spires program. In 2008-2009, he oversaw one of the biggest turnarounds in all of college basketball as the Spires posted a 16-win increase over the previous season, jumping from 3-26 to 19-11, and a second place finish in the KCAC—all in just his first season.

"I have always thought the University of Saint Mary was a great school in one of the best locations in the conference. After seeing the success first-hand in 2001, I knew how good a situation it could be for our players and fans," Bishop said. "We needed to develop a winning attitude with the players that were here and continue to recruit quality student-athletes that can step in to get Saint Mary back to the top where it once was. We have been able to do that quickly because of the character of our student-athletes."

Bishop's tenure at Saint Mary has not only produced an unbelievable turnaround for the team but it has also seen great individual honors for his players. During his tenure, seven players have received both conference as well as national post-season honors. Highlighting that group was Carvelle Taylor, who in 2009 was named the KCAC Player of the Year, KCAC Newcomer of the Year, unanimous 1st Team KCAC, and a NAIA Division II 2nd Team All-American selection after leading the league in scoring with 23.5 ppg. Bishop has recruited the KCAC Newcomer of the Year three years in a row with Eric Avant winning the honor in 2010 and Brandon Coleman in 2011. Both players were also unanimous 1st Team KCAC selections with both also being selected as NAIA Division II Honorable Mention All-Americans in 2010 and 2011. Overall, in just three years, Bishop has produced three All-Americans, four unanimous 1st Team All-KCAC players, and two Honorable Mention All-KCAC selections.

"Jon is a fantastic fit for our basketball program and the University of Saint Mary," said USM Athletic Director Rob Miller. "He is familiar with the KCAC, where he had success in the past, and is a great teacher of the game. We were thorough in our process of choosing the next head coach to lead this program and Jon was consistently at the top of everyone's list as the process went along. This program needed a leader to come in and get it back on top of the league and Jon has proven he could do that and do it in the right way."

Bishop was the associate head coach at Pratt Community College in 2007-2008 after being the top assistant coach at Missouri Western State University from 2005-2007. He was in the same position at Angelo State University from 2002-2005 His other coaching stops included Kansas Wesleyan University (2000-2002), Northwest Missouri State University (1998-2000), and Central Methodist University (1995-1998).

Bishop and his wife Jennifer have two children, Caitlin, age 7, and and Macy age 3, and reside in Leavenworth, Kan.