In five seasons as a head coach Jim Christian has led the Kent State University men’s basketball program to five 20-wins seasons.  His remarkable achievements have placed him among the elite in the college basketball profession while continuing a proud Golden Flash tradition.  
   

One of just seven active coaches to have won 20 games in each of his first five seasons, Christian looks to extend the program’s streak to 10 consecutive years with 20 wins this winter. 
   

In his first five years, Christian has guided the Golden Flashes to a 110-51 (.683) overall record and a 63-25 (.716) mark in conference play.
   

With a 21-11 record last season he established himself in the upper echelon of Mid -American Conference coaches.  Christian became the first coach in league history to win 20 games in his first five seasons and enters this year with the second highest winning percentage in MAC history.  With a .683 winning percentage he currently ranks behind only Jerry Bush at .686 (129-59 at Toledo from 1947-54), which Christian briefly passed twice last season.  In addition his .716 MAC-only winning percentage is also second best behind only former Miami coach Bill Rohr (.757).
   

As he enters his sixth season Christian already is the second winningest coach in Kent State history and posted the most wins by any Golden Flash coach in their first five seasons.  
   

Christian’s contract was extended following the 2005-06 season, keeping him as the head coach at Kent State until the 2012-13 season. “I am very pleased to extend Jim’s contract and be able to keep such an outstanding coach at Kent State,” Director of Athletics Laing Kennedy said. “Jim and his staff have our men’s basketball program moving on an excellent course and I look forward to our team continuing to thrive under Jim’s direction as one of the premier men’s basketball programs in the country.”
   

Last year, the Golden Flashes won 12 of their final 15 games to end with a 21-11 overall record.  The 21 victories gave the program it’s ninth consecutive 20-win season, extending it’s own, MAC records.
   

The nine straight 20-win season put the Golden Flashes in selective company as they are one of just nine teams that have recorded 20 or more wins in each of the past nine seasons.   The elite list includes Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse. 
   

Under Christian’s guidance, Armon Gates became the second player to earn MAC All-Academic Team honors last year.  In the process Omni Smith, along with Mike Scott were named to the All-MAC team bringing the list to 12 all-league selections during Christian’s tenure.  The awards continued for the Golden Flashes 2006-07 squad with Rodriquez Sherman and Chris Singletary becoming the first KSU rookie teammates named to the MAC All-Freshman Team in the same season.
   

On January 24, 2007 at Ball State Christian won his 100th career game, becoming just the second coach in school history to reach the century mark.    
   

In 2005-06, Christian was named the MAC’s Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Golden Flashes to a 25-9 overall record, MAC regular season and Tournament championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
       

Christian, 41, became Kent State’s 21st head coach April 2, 2002, when he replaced Stan Heath. Since taking over, he has guided the team to the 2005-06 MAC regular season and tournament championships, three MAC East Division titles and four postseason appearances (one NCAA, three NIT).  In addition, Christian extended the Golden Flashes streak to a Mid-American Conference record eight straight postseason appearances from 1998-2006. 
   

The 2005-06 team went on a tear down the stretch, winning 19 of their final 23 games en route to the program’s second MAC regular season championship and fourth MAC Tournament title.  The team stormed through league play with a 15-3 mark becoming just the ninth team in MAC history to post at least 15 conference victories. Led by MAC Player of the Year DeAndre Haynes- KSU’s first conference POY- the Golden Flashes advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.
   

In addition to Haynes, Christian mentored two other players who garnered post-season accolades.  Jay Youngblood joined Haynes on the All-MAC First Team and Kevin Warzynski was named to league’s Sixth Man of the Year and received All-MAC Honorable Mention.
   

Three years ago, Christian’s squad finished tied for second in the MAC East Division and made its third straight appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. He also mentored a team with seven new faces on the roster to another 20-win season, the program’s seventh in a row.
   

The 2003-04 Golden Flashes started out 20-3, capping a sixth straight 20-win year in a nationally televised victory against Creighton. The Flashes ultimately posted a 22-9 record, made their fifth MAC Tournament championship game appearance in six years and appeared in the National Invitational Tournament.
   

After losing an All-American from the roster, Christian took a 2003-04 team that included two former walk-ons and molded it into one of the most balanced teams in the nation. He developed John Edwards into an All-MAC First Team pick and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, who played last season with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Christian took the loss of three 1,000-point scorers in the last two years in stride, as his squad had six players average more than six points per game, finish in the top 20 nationally assists and for the second straight year place as one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country.
   

Following the year, Christian was named the NABC District 10 Coach of the Year, earning postseason honors for the second consecutive season.
   

After Christian’s first season at Kent State, he was named the National Rookie Coach of the Year by Basketball Times.
   

In his first season as head coach, Christian faced numerous question marks in taking over a team that lost four seniors from the most successful team in MAC history. But Christian answered those questions as the team posted a 20-win season and a bid in the National Invitation Tournament. He also coached Kent State’s second All-American, as forward Antonio Gates – now a Pro Bowl tight end for the San Diego Chargers – earned honorable mention and was runner-up for MAC Player of the Year.
   

No stranger to success, Christian played a key role as the lead assistant in directing Kent State to record-breaking success during the 2001-02 season. The Golden Flashes won the school’s first MAC regular-season title and third MAC Tournament crown in the last four years en route to a MAC-record 30 wins (30-6). They also posted a 17-1 conference record in winning the MAC by a league-record five games.
   

In the NCAA Tournament, Kent State defeated ranked opponents Oklahoma State (69-61), Alabama (71-58) and Pittsburgh (78-73) before losing to Indiana (81-69) in the South Regional final. The Flashes had won a MAC-record 21 straight games prior to the season-ending loss to the eventual national runner-up Hoosiers.
   

Prior to coming to Kent State, Christian spent two years with Octagon Sports Marketing and Management in McLean, Va., as a college basketball talent evaluator. Among the players with whom he worked were current NBA players Chris Mihm and Jacque Vaughn.
   

Christian previously served three seasons as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh from 1996-99 under his former high school coach Ralph Willard, who currently is the head coach at The College of the Holy Cross. The Panthers advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament in 1997. During the 1995-96 season, Christian was an assistant in the MAC at Miami University under current Arizona State University head coach Herb Sendek. The RedHawks won 21 games that season and received a bid to the NIT. Christian coached NBA players Vonteego Cummings and Mark Blount while at Pittsburgh and Wally Szczerbiak and Ira Newble at Miami.
   

Christian previously had two stints at Western Kentucky University — one as a part-time assistant from 1990-92 under Willard and another as a full-time assistant in 1994-95 under Matt Kilcullen. In 1995, the Hilltoppers finished 27-4, won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. His two appointments at WKU sandwiched a two-year term as the top assistant at Saint Francis (Pa.) University from 1992-94.
   

A native of Bethpage, N.Y., Christian was an all-state guard at St. Dominic High School and later starred for two years at Boston University before finishing his career at the University of Rhode Island under Tom Penders. Christian helped lead the Rams to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 1988. After earning a bachelor’s degree in consumer affairs from URI in 1988, he played professionally for the Sydney City Comets in Australia for one season.
   

In the Summer of 2005, Christian married the former Patty Charlins. He has a daughter, MacKenzie (10) and son Zachary (1).