By Staff
BENTON HARBOR – Lake Michigan College Athletic Director Jason Cooper announced today that South Haven High School boys basketball head coach Sam Cornett has been named the College's men's basketball head coach. Cornett, the 2001 Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Class D Boys State Coach of the Year, will begin his duties at LMC immediately.
"Sam Cornett fits the mold for LMC, not just as a coach but as a person," Cooper said. "His leadership and experience is what we were looking for to take our men's basketball program into the future."
Cornett has a reputation has a proven winner. At the helm of South Haven High School since 2002, he led the Rams to four consecutive winning seasons. His teams averaged 14 wins a year during that time. He has also built the area's Lil' Rams elementary leagues, the summer basketball academy and local club coaches clinics.
Prior to working at South Haven High School, Cornett was the head boys basketball coach at Covert High School, where his 2001 squad won the Class D state championship. His teams also advanced to the State final four in 2002; won the 1999, 2001 and 2002 regional titles; and the district championship each season from 1999 through 2002. He was named the BCAM Class D regional coach of the year in 2001 and 2002.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to coach at Lake Michigan College," Cornett said. "My coaching philosophy is that defense wins championships, and winning championships is certainly one of the things we want to accomplish here. My coaching staff and I will also focus on helping our student-athletes to not only develop their basketball skills, but develop as fine, young men."
Cornett's previous basketball coaching experience includes stints as a middle school assistant coach in Belleville and head boys coach at Franklin Road Christian School and head girls coach at Covert High School.
A graduate of Washtenaw Community College, Cornett went on to earn his Bachelor's of Science degree in Physical Education and Math from Eastern Michigan University and is working on his Master's of Science degree in Sports Studies at Western Michigan.
University.
A native of Ypsilanti, Michigan, Cornett and his wife, Rita, have four children, Mark, Todd, Sammy and Katie.