Mitchell resigns to take assistant job at Lamar University

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-Charinee Mitchell had plenty of highlights during her two seasons as head coach in Garden City; the biggest of which may have been leading the Broncbusters to a win at Hutchinson for the first time in nearly two decades.

But her tenure at Garden City ended last week when she officially resigned to become the new assistant women's basketball coach at Lamar University.

In her two seasons in Garden City, Mitchell guided the Bronbusters to a 34-29 record, including a 20-12 mark her first year where her squad made it to the Region VI Quarterfinals. That team finished 16-10 in conference play, securing road wins over Barton and Hutchinson in the final month of the season.

The following year, Garden City got off to a 4-2 start before dropping three straight games to Panola, South Plains and Cloud County. But the Broncbusters remained competitive all season, scoring an overtime win over Independence on Jan. 5 where they stormed back from a 15-point second-half deficit. They finished the year 14-17 but were 10-4 at home, which included a six-point loss to No. 11 Seward County in a game where they led by five with less than two minutes to go.

Garden City had six all-Jayhawk performers during her two seasons including Talia Roberts, who led the conference in scoring during the 2018-2019 season. But Mitchell's greatest contribution may have come off the floor, locking in a graduation rate close to 90 percent.

This season, she will work under the direction of first-year Head Coach Aqua Franklin, who takes over the top spot after spending four years as the associate head coach at Kansas.