As the college basketball offseason progresses, the Fort Lewis men’s basketball program looks to quickly pick up the pieces and assemble a new roster and coaching staff.
After being hired on May 6, FLC men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast hired James Jansen as associate head coach the school announced on Friday.
Jansen comes from Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon where he led TVCC to a 23-7 record overall and a 13-1 record in conference play in 2023-2024.
“It's exciting,” Jansen said. “I've known Coach Mast for a while now. I’d say eight or nine years that I've known him so we have a good relationship and good friendship. So when he gave me a call a couple of weeks ago, I was excited. It's obviously a lot when you're moving a family and things like that, but my wife is great, so we're excited to move.”
Jansen said conversations with Mast began a few weeks ago when they were touching base on some players and Mast’s move to FLC. Jansen then said Mast offered him the job but Jansen had to talk it over with his wife as neither of them had been to Durango.
Then Jansen and his wife drove down from Idaho to Durango to see Mast and the campus. Jansen credited FLC Director of Athletics Travis Whipple with selling the opportunity at FLC and the support of the fan base to his wife.
“James is going to be a huge asset,” Mast said. “He aligns with our vision of graduating champions. He’s a player-first coach. He always puts the players first and cares about their well-being … I couldn’t be more thrilled to add him to our basketball family at Fort Lewis.”
Before TVCC, Jansen was an assistant coach at the College of Idaho where he helped guide the Yotes to a 32-5 record in the 2021-2022 season. He also coached at Simpson University, Ponderosa High School and Folsom High School.
“I love to get up and down,” Jansen said about his play style. “I love to play quick. But sometimes people think playing quick means taking quick shots and that's not necessarily what we're looking at. My biggest focus is being efficient as a coach. I know Coach Mast wants to play fast and he wants to get after it on the defensive end of the floor.”
Mast described Jansen as an elite recruiter who can coach multiple styles of play. Mast said while Jansen was at the College of Idaho, it played some of the best zone defense Mast has seen at any level. Mast also said Jansen is elite at drawing up plays out of timeouts and switching defenses on the fly.
Jansen said FLC’s identity this year will depend on who they can get on this year’s roster as there won’t be many returners from the 2023-2024 roster. But regardless of the roster, Jansen said the Skyhawks will push the pace next year like they did this past year and strive for a consistent approach every day.
Following a 58-8 Skyhawks record over the past two years will be difficult, but Jansen said he and Mast come from winning backgrounds and know how to win and recruit. Jansen is excited about who he and Mast are on the verge of bringing in.
Mast said he and Jansen should announce another coach on staff within the next week. Once that happens then each member of the staff will be assigned more specific responsibilities.
The search for players isn’t just a national search but an international search, according to Jansen. In this current roster situation, Jansen and Mast are looking at the best players available regardless of position. Both coaches know to compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Skyhawks need to get old and stay old via the transfer portal.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
