WEST PLAINS, Mo. – A familiar face is returning to the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Basketball team.
Dr. Walt Belcher, who served as an assistant coach for the Grizzlies during the 2022-2023 season, will join Head Coach Jared Phay and Assistant Coach Michael Poindexter on the bench this season.
Belcher spent the 2023-2024 season as an assistant coach with Queens University, an NCAA Division I program in Charlotte, N.C.
“We are thrilled to get Coach Belcher back to our program and our community,” Phay said. “He is not only a great basketball coach, but the impact he has had in our area is far reaching. He got to experience a lot last year coaching at the D1 level, coaching against Duke at Cameron Indoor stadium and things that few people get to experience.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity that Coach Phay has given me to rejoin the MSU-WP Grizzly Basketball coaching staff. I’m excited to be back in West Plains and ready to get to work,” Belcher said.
More about Belcher
Belcher’s resumé includes more than 20 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels. He spent 14 years coaching at three different high schools in Missouri, including four years at Mtn. View-Birch Tree Liberty High School. His high school teams competed in nine district championships, claimed six district titles and won four conference titles. Each school also was named in their respective state classification polls during his tenure.
At the collegiate level, Belcher spent two seasons as the head assistant coach at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. His responsibilities included serving as the recruiting coordinator and as head coach of the junior varsity team. During Belcher’s tenure at CMU, the Eagles were nationally ranked and graduated three all-Americans.
He also spent six seasons as assistant coach at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, prior to his first stint with the Grizzlies. During his tenure, the Pioneers made their first two trips to the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournament, reaching the Elite Eight during the 2020-2021 season.
In addition to coaching, Belcher spent 12 years as principal at Mtn. View-Birch Tree Liberty High School.
A Missouri native, Belcher earned all-state basketball honors at Slater High School. Following graduation, he attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall where he was a two-year starter for the Vikings basketball team.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from Missouri Valley, his master’s and specialist’s degrees in school administration from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, and his doctorate degree in educational leadership from Lindenwood University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
He and his wife, Sarah, have been married for more than 30 years.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball team, visit the team’s website at MSUWPGrizzlies.com.
Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.
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