After the departure of Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Colton Kooima, head coach Rhett Soliday is pleased to welcome Jordan Wild to the bench. He will instantly elevate the program with his knowledge of the game, his playing experience, and his recruitment of future Lions. .
"I am extremely excited to join the Vanguard University Men's Basketball Program, which has established a strong tradition of excellence both on and off the court," Wild said. "Coach Soliday has built one of the best cultures within college basketball. This is a tremendous opportunity to pour into the lives of young men that I'm eager to be a part of."
Wild played collegiately at Fresno Pacific University and has the distinct honor of being the all-time winningest player in FPU history. From 2007-2011 his teams went 90-40 during the span and he is also among the program leaders in career rebounds and steals. Playing under head coach Jim Saia for three years, Wild made two NAIA National Championships appearances and won the 2008-09 GSAC title.
"The number one reason our program has been successful is because of the amazing people, players and coaches, that we've been blessed to have at Vanguard," remarked Soliday. "In this case, the addition of Jordan to our staff is another huge win for the program; He is an incredible competitor, and the way he approaches everything with a winning mindset truly sets him apart as a coach."
After graduation, he played overseas on seven professional contracts in both Australia and Germany where he averaged 13.2ppg and 9.1rpg over those seasons. He competed against professional teams in France, Belgium, Romania, Indonesia.
He went on to say, "He will prepare, recruit, develop, and lead on the court in a way that is in total alignment with our mission at Vanguard. He was an outstanding player in the GSAC, has significant professional playing experience, and is deeply connected in the basketball world through his experience coaching top-level high school and AAU basketball programs."
Over the past four years, he has served as Head Coach and Program Director at Oaks Christian High School, reaching the CIF Quarterfinals in his first year holding a record of 19-11 in Division II. He has coached seven athletes playing at the college level in that four year including Pac-12 and Ivy League. Wild has also has spent several years coaching for West Coast Elite, one of the top programs in the country for grassroots basketball, helping players get recruited and placed at top universities all over the country.
Soliday concluded, "What's more important though is that Jordan will lead and mentor our men for Christ and do so in a way that will create the real and lasting impact we are going for. Jordan is a future star as a collegiate head coach, and I can't wait to get to work alongside him making Vanguard Basketball the best it can be."
