By Byron Beers/Staff Writer

The coach responsible for building Redlands Community College men’s basketball program into an NJCAA Division I powerhouse will not be on the sidelines next season as Steve Eck resigned his position last week effective immediately.

Eck, who steps down after six seasons at Redlands, has taken the head coaching position at Division I Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan. He replaces Brian Jackson, who resigned after two seasons.

“It’s closer to home,” Eck said of the move. “It was a very tough decision and I have agonized over it for four days. Cowley is a good job and they offered it to me 13 years ago and I turned it down. I had a good time at Redlands and I can’t believe I did this — that’s why I have been stressing out so much over this.”

Eck, who grew up and coached high school basketball in Wichita, Kan., said having his family closer would allow them to come watch his teams play. Arkansas City is roughly 45 minutes from Wichita.

“If I was ever going to see my friends and family during basketball season, I knew it was time to make a change that would get me closer to home — and this was it,” Eck said. “There are not too many jobs in Division I that would come this close.”

Eck said the move back to Kansas is not a step toward one day becoming either a NAIA or NCAA coach.

“I have no desire to go to the NCAA, but if that happened it would be great,” Eck said. “But it’s hard for a coach to go from junior college to Division I basketball.”

Redlands has been a national power on the nation’s top level of junior college basketball since making the switch prior to the 2003 season. Eck guided the Cougars to a runner-up finish in 2004, losing 58-43 to two-time national champion Southeastern Iowa. RCC has not returned to the national tournament since, losing in the Region II championship game by a point last year and two points earlier this month.

Eck’s teams reached the Region II finals each of his six seasons, with Redlands advancing on to win the 2002 NJCAA Division II National Championship with a 58-57 win over Michigan-based Penn Valley Community College.

“I’ve had a lot of help,” Eck said. “A lot of the credit goes to the players, assistant coaches and the administration. I have gotten attached to Redlands, we have had some good players and good teams that have come through here.”

Redlands amassed a 182-22 record under Eck, averaging 30 wins per season against 3.5 losses. The Cougars were ranked No. 1 in the nation this season for three weeks and finished No. 2 in the final NJCAA Division I poll. Eck leaves RCC with a 590-78 career record.
“I never thought this would happen,” Eck said of leaving the powerhouse he helped build. “It’s just how it all worked out.”

Eck’s leaving did not catch RCC president Larry Devane by surprise.

“There have been people pursuing Steve Eck from the day he was hired at Redlands,” Devane said. “There are not too many programs in Division I or II that have a record like his, so we have had schools stepping up each year wanting him.”

Devane said he understood Eck’s decision to move closer to home.

“Steve knew at this place and time, due to family and the draw back to his home state, this was too good of an offer to pass up,” Devane said.

“We were fortunate to have six good years and we hate to see him go. Not only does his record speak well, but for five of the six years we had the top grade point average for Division I basketball. Coaches coming in to recruit could see that our kids had a transcript and that they could stay eligible and that has become just as important as the basketball talent.”

Eck’s resignation will be taken before the Redlands Board of Regents on April 12, after which Devane will intensify the search for a new head coach.

“Like we did last time, we will sit down and assess where we are as a program and we will kick into full gear what we want to do,” Devane said. “There have been a lot of folks already show interest and we had a good pool to choose from when we hired Steve. It will be hard to find someone to match the success we have had, but there are a lot of people out there that have made this their profession.”

Devane said the regents will also determine if the men’s basketball program will remain on the NJCAA Division I level. Redlands competes in volleyball and women’s golf on the same level, while women’s basketball and baseball are Division II.

“We will determine which division we want to be and in what direction we want to go,” Devane said.

Eck’s departure leaves two voids for Redlands. Eck has served as athletic director for two seasons, replacing Kevin Steele. Devane said a decision has not been made yet if the two positions will remain merged.

“It’s always hard to find a dual candidate, so I don’t think it will be a requirement,” Devane said. “But we will look at it.”

Devane added that Eck’s leaving in the middle of recruiting season will not affect Redlands.

“That is always a big factor, but we know we have a pool of folks in Oklahoma that we are looking at,” Devane said. “The new coach will not have the luxury of time, but he will have a pool of kids we are interested in.”

Eck said he will return to Redlands in order to complete the recruiting process of the players already in the Redlands system. The Cougars have averaged two or more NCAA Division I signees since Eck arrived.

“I’m going to stay involved and see that those sophomores get taken care of and get into college,” Eck said.