WNCC men's basketball coach Brian Joyce resigns to take assistant coaching position at Liberty University

In just two seasons at the helm of the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team, Brian Joyce has turned the program around.

Now, Joyce will get the opportunity to contribute to another quality program in Lynchburg, Va., after accepting an assistant coaching position at Liberty University.

“The people in this community, the administration at the school and the dorm parents have really embraced our family as well as our team and for that we are grateful,” Joyce said. “It has been an honor to serve as the head coach at Western Nebraska and in the Scottsbluff community. Our family will miss the relationships through the church, Community Christian School and within the community. God truly blessed us with the opportunity to be with the people in this area. “

WNCC athletic director Jennifer Pedersen understands why Joyce is leaving.

“As a department, we are saddened at the loss of Coach Joyce to Liberty University,” she said. “While we understand the goals that each coach has to achieve at a higher level of intercollegiate athletics, we will still miss his presence on campus and in the community. We wish him well with his new endeavor. As a department, we will work hard to bring in a coach that will continue the winning tradition Coach Joyce has brought back to WNCC.”

Last season, Joyce helped lead the Cougars to one of its best seasons in the last decade. The Cougars finished 25-7 with the best record in Region IX. WNCC also won the East Sub-region and won 21 of their last 25 games. The Cougars also received votes in the NJCAA national polls the last three weeks of the season.

“My goal when my family and I came to WNCC and Scottsbluff was to re-establish the program as one of the premier programs again in Region IX,” Joyce said. “Even though we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal of winning the region, we definitely proved that WNCC is a force once again in Region IX. Finishing with the best regular season record in the region is an example of the strides we made. These strides would have been impossible without the support of our boosters and most importantly our players. Coaches receive opportunities because players are dedicated to the program. These strides and relationships are a major reason why this is such a difficult decision for me and my family. “

Joyce has experienced plenty of success at the junior college level. Joyce has a 138-59 record as a head coach at WNCC and Northeastern Junior College. Overall, Joyce has over 11 years of college coaching experience, including a stop at Colorado State University and the University of Central Oklahoma as an assistant coach.

Colorado State is where Joyce met current Liberty coach Dale Layer. Layer served as the head coach at Colorado State before serving as an assistant coach at Liberty University in 2007-08 and last season Layer was an assistant coach at NCAA participant and Big East powerhouse, Marquette University. Layer was named Liberty’s head coach in April. Last season, Liberty finished 23-12 and fell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Joyce said he was offered the job and needed a few days to think about the position, since it will be hard to leave the Midwest for the Eastern states. Joyce is originally from Albuquerque, N.M., while his wife (Tina) is from Castle Rock, Colo.

“We are excited about the next phase of our life, both professionally and personally,” he said. “I have enjoyed the privilege of working with young people who enter college from high school with both anxiety and ambition. Helping them move toward the goal of moving on to a four-year school both athletically and academically has been extremely rewarding. I am equally excited now to see the development of our student-athletes come to fruition by helping them complete the educational cycle by finishing a four-year degree and moving on to the important phase of becoming husbands, fathers, and mentors after graduating and completing their eligibility.”

A search for a WNCC men’s basketball coach will begin immediately.