SENATOBIA – Northwest Mississippi Community College athletics announced the hiring of Justing Mann, who will be the 13th men's basketball coach in the program's history, on Wednesday afternoon.
"I am excited to welcome Coach Justin Mann to the Northwest family," said Northwest President Dr. Michael J. Heindl. "Coach Mann will be leading the Rangers during an exciting time in the life of the program, and his community college and university experience make for a perfect fit for our student athletes as we seek to continue the momentum of our basketball program."
Mann, who comes to the Rangers after coaching for the last two seasons at NCAA Division II University of West Florida, brings a wealth of college experience, including time at the NAIA and NJCAA levels.
"I want to thank President Dr. Michael Heindl, Jake Gordon, and the administration for this opportunity", Mann said. "I look forward to getting back into Mississippi Junior College, and I am ready to hit the ground running."
"I am excited for Coach Mann to come take over the men's basketball program at Northwest," Athletic Director Jake Gordon said. "He has head coaching experience at junior college and NCAA Division II level and has the leadership experience to come into this league and have success."
Mann is bringing a successful culture with him, helping the Argonauts to a 25-9 record in the 2025-26 season and the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship, as well as a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for just the second time in program history in just his second year with the program, improving their win total by 17 games from his first season to his second.
Prior to his time at the University of West Florida, Mann had seen success at the NJCAA level as the head coach of Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas, where his 2022-23 team defeated three top 25 programs while playing the 13th toughest schedule in the NJCAA. He was elevated there after being the assistant coach for two seasons.
Before his time in Kansas, he also spent time at Daytona State College from 2018-19, Thomas University from 2015-18, Eastern Nazarene University from 2013-15, and Meridian Community College from 2010-1 in assistant coaching roles.
During his time at the NJCAA Division I level, he was not only part of competitive programs but was also a part of successfully moving student athletes on to the next level, helping sign over 25 athletes to Division I schools and another 10 to Division II programs.
He will be taking over a program with the Rangers that is on the upswing, having made the Region 23 Tournament for the first time in four years during the 2025-26 season, and Mann said he is looking forward to continuing to build on what is already a strong cultural foundation.
"I am grateful to join Northwest Mississippi and be a part of such an amazing culture and community," Mann said. "The location of NWCC, the culture, and the leadership drew my attention to come join the Ranger family. I believe the facilities and location will be an admirable destination for student-athletes across the state of Mississippi and across other states."
He added that the goal coming in is to continue to build the men's basketball program to where it can compete not just at the state level but bring the Rangers back to a national level of prominence where they have been before.
"My expectation going into this opportunity is to compete for State and Region championships," Mann said. "I know the competition is deep in the state, and I want to be able to compete with the best. I want Northwest Mississippi to be a destination that student-athletes choose to call home."
Mann is a native of Peoria, Illinois, and was a two-year starting forward at Lander University from 2007-09. He received a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Lander in 2009 before earning a master's in business administration from Thomas University in 2017. He and his wife, Daley, have been married since 2023.
