Dan Sparks
Head Coach
Email: sparksd@iecc.edu
Dan Sparks brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Warriors
as he enters his 4th year as the Head Coach at Wabash Valley.
Sparks coached for 26 years at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Ind., where
he compiled a record of 706-193 at the junior college. He led the Trailblazers
to 18 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XII titles,
12 NJCAA district or inter-regional titles, and 13 trips to the NJCAA Finals,
held annually in Hutchinson, Kan.
Sparks led Vincennes to a 36-2 record and national runner-up finish in 1986,
a 33-3 record, and third-place national finish in 1993 and a 32-4 mark and fourth-place
finish in 1992. His 704 victories rank him No.1 in the state of Indiana among
college basketball coaches (ahead of No. 2 Bob Knight by 45 victories), and
he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2000. He was named Kodak NJCAA
National Coach of the Year in 1986 and ranks as VU's all-time career-wins leader.
His Blazer squads reached 20 or more wins in 25 of his 26 seasons (including
his final 24) and 30 or more wins 10 times.
While at Vincennes, Sparks coached several professional players including, Erik
Williams (Boston Celtics/Toronto Raptors), Tyrone Nesby (Los Angeles Clippers/Washington
Wizards), and NBA All-Star Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns/Toronto Raptors/Dallas Mavericks). Sparks has also been
a past president of the NJCAA Coaches Association and a member of the USA Basketball
Collegiate Committee.
Sparks is not only an outstanding coach, but also had a stellar playing career.
In 1964-65, as the team's starting center, he led Vincennes to a 28-6 record
and NJCAA National Championship, as the Trailblazers became the first team east
of the Mississippi River to claim the NJCAA title. He later moved on to play
at Weber State, earning All-Conference honors and leading the Wildcats to a
Big Sky Conference championship his senior season. Following college, he played
with the Miami Floridians and New Orleans Buccaneers of the ABA and with the
Chicago Bulls of the NBA.
Sparks broke into coaching at Vincennes under legendary coach Allen Bradfield,
who won 607 career games. He spent the 1971-74 seasons with Bradfield, including
helping the team to a perfect 33-0 record and NJCAA National Championship in
1972. Sparks spent 1974-78 as an assistant coach and chief scout with the Kansas
City Kings (now Sacramento Kings) of the NBA. Following his stint with the Kings,
Sparks began his coaching career at VU in the 1979-80 seasons.
Sparks completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Weber State in 1967 and his
Master’s Degree from Indiana State in 1973. Sparks and his wife, Debbie,
have one son, Scott. Scott played one season for his dad at Vincennes before
transferring to Evansville; Scott later played professional basketball in Europe.
Mike Ray
Associate Head Coach
Email: raym@iecc.edu
Coach Ray graduated from Lawrenceville High School in 1968. He is an alumnus
of Wabash Valley College having spent one year at WVC and three years at Southern
Illinois University in Carbondale and is a 1972 graduate of SIU. Ray graduated
with a major in Physical Education and a minor in Health. Coach Ray earned his
Masters in Education Administration from Louisiana Baptist University in Shreveport,
Louisiana.
Coach Ray played his HS ball for the legendary Ron Felling, and then played
one year at SIU Carbondale under the late Jack Hartman. He has served as Assistant
and Head Coach at Red Hill HS in Bridgeport, IL., and Head Coach at Crawford
County HS in Marengo, IN. Ray also served as an Assistant Coach to Dan Sparks
for sixteen years at Vincennes University. He was twice voted North Egypt Conference
Coach of the Year.
Ray begins his third year as an Assistant Coach of the Warriors, and his nineteenth
alongside Hall of Fame Coach Dan Sparks. Ray brings over thirty years experience,
over 500 wins, and a winning percentage of nearly 70 percent to the Warrior
bench. He served as an Assistant to the USA’s Men’s Junior College
All Star Team that toured South America in 2001, and has made eight appearances
at the Junior College annual showcase in Hutchinson, Kansas. He has coached
such NBA greats as Shawn Marion, Eric Williams, Tyrone Nesby, and Carl Landry,
and has helped send nearly one hundred players on to 4 year schools.
Ray blends his expertise in with Coach Spark’s philosophy. “I am
excited to be on the bench with Coach Sparks. Dan’s accomplishments are
to be both marveled and respected. Our philosophy is a simple one. We recruit
student athletes first who are good people. Second, we demand they go to class
and progress towards graduation, and third- they have a burning desire to improve
on the court. We base our success on those three priorities. Our mission is
to put a product in the classroom and on the court that the WVC community will
be proud of, and positively support. We are working hard to hang another National
Championship banner in Spencer Sports Complex. We want our players to enjoy
the game, and to take with them the work ethic they will need to become successful
people and productive citizens. We are equally appreciative of the staff and
their support of our student athletes here at WVC.”
Coach Ray is married to his wife Judy of 38 years. The couple has raised and
are proud of their sons Corrie who is Principal of Parkview Junior High in Lawrenceville,
Chad and Collin who are employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections,
and daughter Christi who is employed with Golden Rule Insurance in Lawrenceville,
Illinois. The couple have two granddaughters Baylie and Olivia, and four grandsons
Landen, Brayton, Camren, and Peyton.
Zach Carpenter
Assistant Coach
Email: carpenterz@iecc.edu
Zach Carpenter enters his first season on the Warrior staff as assistant coach.
Last year he was on staff at Louisburg College in North Carolina under Head Coach John Meeks.
During last season Carpenter helped the Hurricanes to a 22-8 record and a second place finish in Region 10.
Before Louisburg, Coach Carpenter spent two seasons on staff at Tennessee Tech University as the Director of Basketball Operations under Head Coach Mike Sutton.
During his two seasons at Tech, they achieved wins over Pac 10 participant Oregon State University and Big 10 participant Northwestern University.
A native of Cleveland, Tennessee, Carpenter was a two-year all-state selection on the basketball court for Coach Kent Smith at Bradley Central High School.
Carpenter went on to a standout career at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. A four-year starter at UAH for Coach Lennie Acuff,
Carpenter helped guide the squad to a Gulf South Conference East Division title as a junior and a berth in the NCAA Division II national tournament.
In his four seasons he amassed 1,548 career points and 607 rebounds, averaging a career-best 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds as a senior on his way to earning All-America honors.
Carpenter played one season in Denmark’s top professional league, averaging 16 points and six rebounds per game.
After the season’s completion, he returned stateside where he was a volunteer assistant coach at Lee University in 2005-06
while he completed work towards his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. He recently graduated with a Masters
Degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Tech University in the summer 2009.
Zach is not married. His parents, Larry and Cherri, live in Cleveland, TN.
