James Arnold begins his second season with the Southeast Missouri Redhawks women’s basketball team. Arnold serves as the recruiting coordinator as well as oversees game scheduling and is the staff liaison to various departments within athletics.
Arnold helped guide the Redhawks to their first OVC Tournament appearance in seven years in 2015-16, his first year on staff. Southeast finished the season 15-15 overall, recording an 8-8 record in league play. Southeast finished the season tied for fifth in the conference.
His post players ranked 13th nationally in rebounds per game, averaging 43.4 board per game. That figure ranked second in the OVC. Southeast’s 28 defensive rebounds per game ranked 24th nationally, third in the OVC. In all, the Redhawks outrebounded their opponents a total of 19 times last season.
Individually, Erin Bollmann ranked 10th in the OVC in rebounding, pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game. Additionally, Deja Jones ranked 12th in the league with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Imani Johnson became the first Redhawk in 20 years to earn OVC Freshman of the Week honors twice in a single season in 2015-16. Johnson finished her freshman campaign with 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Arnold spent the previous four seasons at the helm of the Central Methodist women’s basketball program in Fayette, Missouri. In his four years as head coach, Arnold posted a 79-45 overall record and a 42-30 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). The Eagles finished third in the HAAC his first three seasons and recorded back-to-back 20-plus win seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The 2014-15 squad posted their second-straight season ranked 20th in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Top 25 Honor Roll. Arnold saw 19 of his players earn Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors during his four-year tenure.
His 2013-14 team spent much of the season ranked in the NAIA Division I Top 25 poll and finished with a 22-9 overall record. That season, CMU had four All-HAAC performers including the HAAC Newcomer of the Year.
In his second season at CMU in 2012-13, Arnold’s team posted the best start in school history with a 16-1 record to begin the season. The team picked up victories over three top 25 teams and NCAA Division I opponent Chicago State. That season saw two eight-game winning streaks en route to a 25-8 record, the second highest season winning percentage in school history.
The team spent four straight weeks in the top 25 poll, ranking as high as No. 17. The Eagles reached the HAAC Championship game for the first time in 13 years that season and also earned their first ever bid to the NAIA Division I National Championship.
Arnold inherited an Eagle team in 2011-12 who just a year earlier had five wins on the season. Arnold and his staff increased CMU’s win total by 12 to finish 17-13, marking the second greatest turnaround in NAIA Division I women’s basketball regular season history. The Eagles received votes in three straight weeks in the NAIA DI poll for the first time in school history. Picked to finish ninth in the HAAC, CMU finished third in the standings and just two games out of first place. For his efforts in his first year at CMU, Arnold earned HAAC Co-Coach of the Year honors.
Arnold also served as Assistant Athletics Director at CMU.
Prior to CMU, Arnold spent four seasons at Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas. In his four years with the Scottie women’s basketball program, Arnold’s teams more than doubled their conference and overall wins from the four years prior.
Before taking over at Highland, Arnold spent five years at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri, including four years as the head women’s basketball coach and assistant director of residence life. During those four seasons, the Lady Pirates won 91 games, two NJCAA Region 16 Championships, one NJCAA District F Championship, and the 2007 B.J. Graber Sportsmanship Award at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
In 2007, Arnold led NCMC to school records of 26 regular-season wins, four playoff wins, and the first 30-win season in school history. NCMC also finished sixth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. For their record-breaking season, Arnold and his team were inducted into the North Central Missouri College Athletic Hall of Fame in February of 2008.
Arnold played collegiately at Glenville State College (West Virginia) where he received his bachelor’s degree. After his playing career, Arnold spent one season as a student assistant with the Pioneers before moving to head boy’s coach at Mt. View Academy in Winchester, Virginia for one season. Arnold earned his Executive Masters of Business Administration degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
Arnold is a native of Paw Paw, West Virginia. James and his wife, Lesley, have one daughter, Audrey, 8.
