Emmanuel Bland was named an assistant basketball coach for Mars Hill University in the fall of 2022. He comes to The Hill after working with Dawson CC in Glendive, Montana - it was Coach Bland’s second stint at DCC. Coach Bland helped the Buccaneers win 71 games over his three years there (2017-2019, 2021-2022) and assisted Coach Joe Peterson in many aspects of the program including overseeing individual skill development, installing a new offense, academics, and strength & conditioning. In the 2021-2022 season, Coach Bland was instrumental in helping the Bucs to a 27-6 record and a 2022 NJCAA Region 13 Championship. In addition to his junior college coaching experience, Coach Bland also worked two seasons (2019-2021) with the Dallas Mavericks player development staff assisting on the court in workouts and practices as well as charting shot data for player development purposes.
Before coaching in the college ranks, Coach Bland was the City Director and Basketball Coach for Five-Star Sports in Guangzhou, China. While in China, through opportunities with Five-Star Sports, Coach Bland was able to coach the varsity teams at Zhixin High School and the British School of Guangzhou. He also ran various camps and clinics with NIKE basketball, participating and leading many NIKE RISE Academy Skills sessions, most notably one featuring Kevin Durant.
Coach Bland played collegiate basketball at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky and at Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. A native of Beckley, West Virginia, Coach Bland was instrumental in leading Greater Beckley Christian School to their first state tournament appearance. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Blue Mountain College.
Coach Bland has been married to his wife Christine for 10 years and they are blessed to have 2 wonderful daughters, Emma (8), and Eleanor (6). Christine works for PGC Basketball in their marketing and business intelligence departments and enjoys Chick-fil-A, outdoor walks, and relaxing evenings reading her Kindle. Emma and Eleanor enjoy Taco Bell, riding their bikes, and going to the park with their dad.
