A nearly 40 year coaching veteran, John Ishee comes to the Lady Hornets with a career record of 269-251in 16 years as a head coach across nearly all levels of basketball.
“I met John several years ago and was thrilled that he was interested in this position. He is a proven recruiter and coach,” said Osterman. “Our program will take a major step forward with his assistance. He cares about the players and has the connections to recruit talented kids with high level character.”
“I’m ecstatic to be here at Emporia State with Coach O as his Associate Head Coach,” said Ishee. “The tradition within the MIAA and the history of Lady Hornet Basketball speaks for itself. The vision and expectation is to win Championships, and compete Nationally.”
Coach Ish has spent the last four years at Howard College in Texas where he steadily built the program to where the Hawks recorded their first winning record in eight years by his third season. Along the way, they picked up wins over nationally ranked New Mexico Junior College and South Plains CC along with two-time NJCAA national champion Mesa College. His Howard teams had the highest GPA among junior college teams in Texas for three straight seasons and were ranked ninth nationally in 2022-23.
After taking over an eight win team, Ishee led Pratt CC to a 20-win season and the most conference wins in school history, 12, in his second season. He led the Beavers to a record of 37-25 over his last two seasons including finishing tied for third in the Jayhawk West with two consecutive Region 6 playoff berths. Under his leadership the Beavers snapped a 53 game losing streak to Seward County CC that covered 28 years with a 56-52 win on February 8, 2020. The Pratt women finished ninth in the country in team GPA according to the WBCA in his final season.
He was out of college coaching from 2014-17 to spend three years caring for his ailing mother in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi, but he did not leave the coaching field as he spent three years as an assistant coach at Gulfport HS.
Before returning to Gulfport, he was an assistant coach at UT-Rio Grande Valley in 2013-14 after spending two seasons as an assistant at Lamar University. The Cardinals went 22-11 and advanced to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament in 2012-13.
Ishee went 77-74 in five seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division I Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks won two Ohio Valley Conference regular season and one tournament championship under his leadership. SEMO advanced to the NCAA Division I National Tournament in 2007 and followed that with a Women’s NIT appearance in 2008. He is the only head coach to have a winning career record in the NCAA Division I era for the Redhawks.
Prior to his time as the head coach in Cape Girardeau Ishee was the head coach for one season at NCAA Division II member New Mexico Highlands after two seasons as an assistant at New Mexico State. This was after his first stint in Cape Girardeau as an assistant for Southeast Missouri in 2002-03.
His first collegiate head coaching assignment was at Life University in Marietta, Georgia. He led the Eagles to a 22-10 record and an appearance in the sweet 16 of the 2002 NAIA National Tournament in his lone season.
He spent the 1990s as an assistant coach at four different schools. He was an assistant at St. Louis University in 2000-01 after three seasons at the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss went to the Women’s NIT in 1998-99. Ishee was the associate head coach at McNeese State in 1996-97 after one year at the University of the Pacific.
He began his career in women’s basketball as Southern Mississippi from 1990-94. The Lady Eagles won the Metro Conference Tournament in 1992 and 1994 to earn a trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament both years. The 1994 team advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to UConn.
Ishee’s first collegiate coaching experience came in 1988-90 with the men’s program at Southern Mississippi. The Eagles made the 1990 Metro Conference Tournament Championship game against Louisville and advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament that year.
His first coaching job was at Prentiss (Miss.) HS where he went 77-40 coaching both boys and girls in two seasons from 1986-88.
He has coached and been associated with four NBA and four WNBA players during his career.
“Coach Ish is a flat-out winner,” said Ostermann. “Our players will benefit immensely from his experience and expertise”
Ishee earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in educational administration from Southern Mississippi.
ISHEE FILE
2020-24 Head Coach, Howard CC 41-62
2017-20 Head Coach, Pratt CC 40-51
2014-17 Assistant Coach, Gulfport (Miss.) HS
2013-14 Associate Head Coach, UT-Rio Grande Valley
2011-13 Assistant Coach, Lamar University
-Women's Basketball Invitational appearance, 2012-13
2006-11 Head Coach, Southeast Missouri State University 77-74
-2006-07 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year
-Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Champions, 2006-07, 2007-08
-Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Champions, 2006-07
-NCAA Tournament appearance, 2006-07
-Women's NIT appearance, 2007-08
2005-06 Head Coach, New Mexico Highlands University 12-14
2003-05 Assistant Coach, New Mexico State University
2002-03 Assistant Coach, Southeast Missouri State University
2001-02 Head Coach, Life University 22-10
-NAIA National Tournament Sweet 16 Appearance
2000-01 Assistant Coach, Saint Louis University
1997-2000 Assistant Coach, University of Mississippi
-Women's NIT appearance, 1998-99
1996-97 Associate Head Coach, McNeese State University
1995-96 Assistant Coach, University of the Pacific
1990-94 Assistant Coach, University of Southern Mississippi
-Metro Conference Tournament Champions, 1991-92
-NCAA Tournament Appearance, 1991-92
-Metro Conference Regular Season Champions, 1993-94
-NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Appearance, 1993-94
1988-90 Men's Assistant Coach, University of Southern Mississippi
-NCAA Tournament Appearance, 1989-90
1986-88 Boys and Girls Head Coach Prentiss (Miss.) HS 77-40
