Media Kit

Jerry Isler coaches champions. And Wednesday, McMurry University athletic director Ron Holmes will ask Isler to carry on that legacy as he is named the 13th head men's basketball coach in school history.

Isler will carry the program into a new War Hawks regime, but will be expected to grasp the Indian tradition of past coaches, and the highly successful basketball program that the athletic department has been known for, for decades.

The Grady, N.M. native departs Clovis High School in Clovis, N.M. where he was the the coach for 10 seasons. There, he posted a 209-70 overall record (.749), won five district titles, made the state tournament all 10 years, and reached the state title game in 2008.

Prior to his arrival at Clovis, he was the head women's basketball coach at New Mexico Junior College where he was named the WJCAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading his team to a No. 1 national ranking during the regular season. He also took the team to the conference tournament.

Then, he made a three-year stop at NCAA Division I UT-Arlington where he was the women's head coach and helped UTA reach the conference tournament two times. From there, he returned to his hometown and coached Grady High School's boys for eight seasons. His accolades there included a state title in 1995 and four state championship game appearances.

At the high school level, he is the 10th all-time winningest coach in New Mexico history, and has compiled a 533-160 record between high school and college for a .769 career-win percentage.

For one year at McMurry, he will be re-united with his son and former Clovis High School point guard, Jaden Isler. Isler, helped McMurry to a 21-8 record in 2010-11 under head coach Matt Garnett, who stayed one season before departing last week to take the head-coaching vacancy at his alma mater at Wayland Baptist.

The father-son combo helped Clovis High School reach the state championship game in 2008, and Jerry said he is excited to get to spend one more season with his son at the controls.

“I sought his advice a little bit, there's always extra pressure when you're the coach's son, and I wanted to make sure he was good with it,” said Jerry. “He was excited, and it's not something that he hasn't done in the past, so he'll be used to it. When he was excited, that made me even more excited.”

As far as the transition back to the college game, and the first men's head-coaching job at the college level for Jerry Isler, he said he's ready for the challenge.

“It really brings a lot of excitement to something that I do already; something that I love to do,” said Isler. “It's going to be a challenge. Challenges motivate me and I'm glad to get back to that level.”

McMurry's athletics department has and will go through transition. In March, after a four-year span without a nickname after dropping “Indians” as a result of pressure from the NCAA, McMurry named its new nickname as “War Hawks.” In December the McMurry Board of Trustees announced its intention to transition from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II.

Holmes said finding someone who could help with the transition was one of the key factors.

“I'm excited that we've got coaches in every position that can take us into Division II, now to include Jerry,”said Holmes.

Isler said the Division II transition and a chance to work for Holmes was a motivating factor in the move.

“First and foremost it was Ron Holmes,” said Isler of his decision to move. “I've known him for a long time and have a tremendous amount of respect for him. And, with the transition to D2, it's a very exciting period for the basketball program, and getting to lead them into that is going to be a great opportunity.”

Holmes, who coached McMurry's basketball team for 20 seasons from 1991-2010, said he was looking to replace Garnett with someone who had similar qualities, and someone who could help keep the 2010-11 squad in place that won the American Southwest Conference championship and reached the NCAA Division III national tournament.

“That was paramount for me, I wanted someone with the ability to keep this team together,” said Holmes. “Jerry matches a lot of the qualities that Matt [Garnett] brought. He's knowledgeable, he's mature, and well, just look at his record.”

In addition to Jaden Isler, the starting point guard, the War Hawks will return the ASC West Division Player of the Year in Steven Jones while Bryant Taylor, Christian Scofield, Anthony Johnson, Darius Coleman, Cameron Quinton, Christopher Cerny, Mark Garza, Alfred Perez and Cameron Saville have eligibility remaining.

“I think that's a tremendous start and that's another thing that was appealing,” said Isler. “I followed them more closely than most people this year because I had an interest in them. I think that it's not only a good nucleus but the freshman have developed and I think will be able to make a contribution.”

Jerry Isler has been familiar with McMurry University's basketball program even before his son Jaden transferred to play his final two years of college in Abilene. Jerry began his college playing career at Clarendon Junior College, and when it came time to transfer and finish his college career, Hershel Kimbrell, the legendary McMurry coach recruited Jerry to play. Isler chose Lubbock Christian where he was an all-conference point guard, but said he had tremendous respect for Kimbrell and the job he did at McMurry.

“When he recruited me I was very impressed. Coach Holmes was a high school coach at Clarendon when I was in junior college. He raved about Kimbrell and McMurry University,” Isler said. “I ended up going to LCU and playing against McMurry, and everything coach Holmes said was correct about Kimbrell. His teams were always tough and hard-nosed defensive teams; I came to respect coach Kimbrell from an opponent's stand point, and now I'm proud to have the opportunity to be a part of the legacy that Coach Holmes and Coach Kimbrell have built.”

More Notes about Isler

* 25 years of Head Coaching Experience at
Division I, Jr. College & High School levels
* 10th All-Time Winningest Coach in New Mexico
History
* Two State Championships, Five State Runner Up,
Sixteen Conference or District Championships
* Career Record of 533 – 160 .769 %
* Experience in academic monitoring of student
athletes
* Experienced recruiter at College Level
* Successful record as an innovative and
motivated Coach – 25 years

LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Graduate Assistant Men's Coach 1984 - 1985
Junior Varsity Men's Coach 1984 - 1985

GRADY HIGH SCHOOL
Head Women's Coach 1985 - 1987
State Champions 1986
State Runner Up 1987
Head Men's Coach 1992 - 2000
State Champions 1995
State Runner Up 1993, 1994, 1998
NM Coach of the Year 1986, 1998

NEW MEXICO JUNIOR COLLEGE NJCAA
Assistant Men's Coach 1987 - 1989
Head Women's Coach 1987 - 1989
Conference Tournament 1988
Conference Semifinalist 1989
Ranked as high as #1 Nationally 1989
1988-1989 WJCAC Co-Coach of the Year

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON NCAA Division I
Head Women's Coach 1989 - 1992
Conference Tournament 1990, 1991
Conference Semifinalist 1992
1989 Youngest Division I Coach in the Nation

CLOVIS HIGH SCHOOL
5 District Championships
10 State Tournament Appearances
State Runner Up 2008
2000 - Present 5A
209 – 70 (.749%)
District Coach of the Year 2008,2009,2010,2011

PLAYING CAREER
Clarendon Junior College
WJCAC All Star Team 1982

Lubbock Christian University