Janson's Story:

Janson Hightower became SBA's Director in the summer of 2024.  He joins us after five seasons of being a high school head coach in the Tulsa area, and previously, a collegiate coach for nine seasons.  Hightower has been a head basketball coach at Cascia Hall Prep, Collinsville, and Southwestern University (TX).  He was also the operations director and graduate assistant at Central Arkansas from 2010-12.

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The Southwestern Pirates went 15-12 in Hightower's first season running the program, including 8-6 in conference play, which was a seven-game improvement from the previous season's 8-18 finish. Hightower was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches 30-under-30 team in 2016, honoring the top up and coming coaches in college basketball. In the 2018-19 season, he was named the SCAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Pirates to its first share of the SCAC regular season title since 2005. His .597 in-conference winning percentage is the sixth-best in league history among coaches with at least five years' experience.

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Hightower is also one of two SCAC Coach of the Year winners to have won the award and played in the conference, having finished his playing career at Hendrix College as the school's all-time DIII leader in assists.  He is also sixth all-time in steals at Hendrix College.  

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Janson currently coaches our 2033 and 2031 teams and assists our high school players with recruitment.  Janson, his wife Katie, and their daughter, Kelley Kate live in Andover.