East Texas Baptist University Athletics

Rusty Rainbolt enters his fourth season as the head coach for the women’s basketball team and is the fastest coach to 60 wins at ETBU in the NCAA Division III era. He has put ETBU on the map for women's basketball in three years building a program from scratch producing three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since the late 1990s. He also won the program’s first American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship in 2017-18 finishing in the NCAA Division III Elite Eight falling to #2 Wartburg College in Waverly, IA.

Rainbolt is no stranger to the ASC as he has coached at Concordia University-Texas and McMurry University. Prior to coming back to NCAA Division III, he spent two years in his hometown of Sweetwater, Texas, as the Girls Athletic Coordinator and Head Girls Basketball Coach.
 

2019-20 Highlights

• Produced third straight 20-win season
• Regionally ranked
• Posted a 10-game winning streak
• Upset #25 Texas Dallas, 58-53, on Jan. 9
• 6 players earned All-ASC awards
• 2 players named to ASC East Division First Team

2018-19 Highlights

• Produced second straight 20-win season
• Ranked as high as 9^th in national polls
• Regionally ranked
• 10-game winning streak
• 23 wins are 4th most in program history
• 6 players earned All-ASC awards
• Produced the All-ASC East Newcomer (Kendrick Clark)
• 2 players named to the ASC All-Defensive team
• 2 players named to the ASC All-Freshman team

2017-18 Highlights

• D3hoops.com South Region Coach of the Year
• ASC Tournament Champions – first ever for ETBU
• NCAA Tournament – first ever for ETBU
• Elite Eight finish
• Final Ranking: 11th (D3hoops.com)
• Final Ranking: 17^th (WBCA)
• Kim Childress named D3hoops.com All-South Region
• 25 wins are 2^nd most in program history
• Went 6-1 in the post season
• Produced the All-ASC East Newcomer (Kim Childress)

WHAT ETBU SAYS ABOUT RAINBOLT
ETBU President Dr. J. Blair Blackburn
“We heard from countless people what an incredible man of Christian leadership Rusty Rainbolt is. Getting to know him through our search process, I have discovered how true this description is.  Rusty embodies the total package that fits our Christ-centered athletic department: devoted husband, loving father, dedicated coach. He and his lovely wife Audra are committed to Christian sports ministry. Together our Lady Tigers will have an extended family in the Rainbolts encouraging and challenging them to excel in the classroom, on the court, and in life.”

ETBU Vice President for Athletics Ryan Erwin
“We are thrilled to have Rusty Rainbolt and his family joining the ETBU Athletics as our Head Women’s Basketball Coach.  Rusty’s passion for Christ-centered athletics and philosophy of developing the complete student-athlete, both on and off the court, is a perfect fit for ETBU Basketball. We are excited about the future of the Tiger Women’s Basketball program under Coach Rainbolt’s leadership.  I am confident Rusty will be able to lead the ETBU Women’s Basketball team to new heights because of his wealth of experience and familiarity with the ASC, as well as his commitment to discipleship and excellence.”
 

IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
Concordia-Texas (3 seasons - head coach)

• ASC "Coach of the Year"
• Went 54-24 in three seasons
• 2011-12 ASC Tournament Champions
• 2012 NCAA Division III Tournament
• 2011-12 ASC West Division Champions
• Went 23-5 in 2011-12 & were ASC Sportsmanship "Team of the Year"

McMurry University (2 seasons - assistant coach)

• Helped program to 39-16 record in two years
• 2008-09 ASC West Division Champions
• 2009-10 ASC Tournament Runners-Up

PRIOR TO COACHING COLLEGE

Rainbolt worked his way up into the college ranks after a successful three years as an assistant coach at Trinity Christian High School. In 2005 and 2006, Trinity Christian HS won the 4-A TAPPS State Championship. He then spent a year at Hardin-Simmons University earning a master’s degree and then a year at Wayland Baptist University as the recruiting coordinator. From there he went onto McMurry as an assistant.

In his two stops at as a head coach, he has restructured the academic and recruiting settings. None of the teams he coached had less than a 3.2 grade point average. At Concordia-Texas, he had 18 players named to the ASC All-Academic team. In five years, he had eight All-Conference players, two conference newcomers of the year, and one conference player of the year and defensive player of the year.

As an assistant coach for three years in his career, he recruited four players for three different programs that earned numerous awards. Those awards include ASC Newcomer of the Year, SAC Newcomer of the Year, SAC Defensive Player of the Year, NAIA All-American, and an ASC West MVP.

Rainbolt is married to his wife, Audra, and they have three daughters, Bailey (12), Summer (10) and Rhilee (6).

RAINBOLT RESUME

HEAD COACH

^ - ASC Tournament Champions
E - ASC East Division

IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

OPPONENTS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT