New Assistant Added to Men’s Basketball Staff

June 10, 2009

Mount Vernon, GA -- Brewton-Parker Men’s Basketball Coach John D. Jones has announced that James (JJ) Thatcher will work as an assistant on his staff for the 2009-2010 season.  Thatcher brings tremendous ability as a recruiter to the BPC staff, with experience at the High School, AAU, and College levels.  He has developed a reputation as a tireless worker and great competitor who understands what it takes to build a championship caliber basketball program.  Thatcher’s strong suit is recruiting and the relationships he has developed around the country and the world.  He has made a positive contribution to the success of the other programs he has been affiliated with.

“I am excited to have James Thatcher join our staff,” said Coach Jones.  “He has a high level of energy and enthusiasm that will serve our recruiting efforts well.  I am looking forward to working with him, and assistant coach James Stapleton, to take BPC Basketball to new heights.”

Prior to joining Brewton-Parker, Thatcher was the top assistant coach at Florida Community College Jacksonville on the women’s side for two seasons.  FCCJ is a highly regarded program that plays in one of the toughest regions in the country.  He helped lead them to a #11 national ranking and a top 10 ranking in the state of Florida.  While at FCCJ, Thatcher helped Head Coach Debora Woods recruit two first team All-State players, three top 25 scorers in the country, and one All-Academic player.  Coach Thatcher also was active in community service, and the local High Schools with helping young men and women play summer basketball.

Before joining the FCCJ staff, Thatcher was the top assistant coach under head coach Craig Wilsman at Warner University, also on the women’s side.  While at Warner, he worked in many areas including fundraising, community service, team camps, scheduling, and player development.

AAU has also played a big part of Thatcher’s basketball coaching career. He founded the AAU program called the Florida Hoopsters to help put young athletes in college.  He has been instrumental in assisting many young men and women to get an opportunity to play at the next level. One of Thatcher’s alumni is Simone Durden, who now plays Division 1 basketball at Florida A&M on a full scholarship. The Florida Hoopsters are still active on the summer AAU circuit.

Thatcher got his start as a player and a coach in Florida’s prep basketball leagues, including Newberry High School, Westwood Hills, and Shores Christian Academy.  While at Shores Christian, he played under head coach Allen Adams (currently assistant coach at UT-Arlington), Ryan Dowley (now assisting at Virginia Tech), and Richard Hampton (now at University of Loyola in Louisiana). 

During his playing days at Shores Christian, Thatcher was able to play with teammate Cliff Clinkscales of the NBA and NBDL, and against some of the top prep schools in the country (Mt. Zion Academy, IMG Academy, Laurinburg Institute, Hardgrave Academy, Central Park Christian, ect.).   He was also an outstanding baseball player at Shores.

James Thatcher was born in Philadelphia, PA. During his time as an assistant on the Barons staff, he will attend BPC to complete his bachelor’s degree.