Former Men’s Basketball Junior Varsity Head Coach, Nathan Padia, has stepped up to lead the Maverick Men’s Varsity Basketball team this year. Former Varsity Head Coach Jeremy Johnston has accepted the head assistant coach position at D2 Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado.
“It’s easy to see the passion that he has for the game and the enthusiasm he wants to bring to the program,” President Schears said. “…Coach Padia has been with the Mavericks for two seasons already and it was an easy decision to put him as head coach. Everyone is excited for this season.”
Northwest Tech bids farewell to Coach Johnston as he departs from his time as a Maverick. Johnston had overall 40 wins as an assistant coach and 50 wins as the head coach of the Mavericks. Johnston moved 13 players to Division I programs and 13 players to Division II programs across the country. He also had 14 NJCAA Academic All-American players.
“We wish Coach Johnston good luck in his new coaching position. We are excited to build a relationship with Metro State as a possible college for our Maverick players to transfer to after graduation,” said Northwest Tech Athletic Director, Rory Kling, “Padia will make a smooth transition into the head coaching position because he is very familiar with how Northwest Tech operates and he is familiarized with the current and incoming players.”
Nathan Padia is entering his third season with Northwest Tech and sixth year coaching overall. Prior to Northwest Tech, Padia coached at Ottawa University and Southwest Baptist University. Padia received his Bachelor’s from Lafayette College and Master’s from Ottawa University. He is originally from Lawrence, Kansas. “What I love most about coaching is the relationships that I’ve built with players over the years,” said Padia, “Being a part of helping them accomplish their goals is really something special.”
As the Mavericks look toward the Jayhawk Conference schedule, Padia anticipates a challenging, yet rewarding season, “Our program has high expectations for this upcoming year. We want to make our inaugural season in the KJCCC a special one. We have one of the best returning classes in Tech history with 40% of our scoring coming back, and a very good group of new guys that are competitive and hungry. I’m excited to get them here and start working!”
