Emmanuel Bland was named the head men’s basketball coach for Dallas Christian College in the spring of 2023. Coach Bland has helped turn-around the DCC program in his three year tenure, guiding the Crusaders to 3 years of double digit wins, back-to-back top 2 regular season finishes, and their highest win total since the 2017-18 season. DCC has had 6 players receive All-Region honors, placed 14 athletes on the Dean’s List and President’s List, and has two former Crusader player sign to play professional basketball (Yuot Gai & Ny’gel Boozer).
He came to Dallas after working as an assistant at Mars Hill University, a NCAA Division 2 institution in North Carolina. His one year at ‘The Hill’ saw the Lions have a 3 game win increase from their total the year before, as he helped coach Larry Davis with practice planning, coordinating defense, and player development. Before Mars Hill, Coach Bland worked 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. Coach Bland also operates a player development training program in Dallas, Texas training athletes of all levels in the off-season.
He has worked with numerous NBA athletes and overseas pros such as: Cameron McGriff, Dereon Seabron, Max Abmas, Avery Anderson, Tyreek Smith & Mike Jok. 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 12 years and they are blessed to have 2 wonderful daughters, Emma (11) and Eleanor (9), and a newborn son (Mateo). 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. Mateo enjoys naps and his big sisters.
