Written by Tyler Henry
Lead Sports Writer – Salina Post
A lot of things about the Trojans men's basketball program will change next season, but the head coach's last name will not.
On Monday, Southeast of Saline officially announced that longtime Brown Mackey College head coach Francis Flax will become the SES men's basketball head coach.
“If we can bring in people with the experience and knowledge that Coach Flax gives us, we can do that,” SES AD Doug Mineman said. “He has experience at every level and has been successful wherever he goes. He is the person we want to lead our program and we think he is the best fit.”
In addition to bringing that experience to the role, Francis has kept a close eye on the team as the father of former head coach Bryson Flax, who stepped down after an exceptional six-year run.
After coaching for nine years at Highland Community College, Francis spent 23 years as head coach and 25 years as athletic director at Brown Mackey.
He led the Lions to 446 wins and six appearances in the NJCAA Division II national tournament, including two national titles in 1995 and 2005, retiring from both roles at the end of the 2015 season.
All six of these teams finished in the top five nationally.
In addition to two collegiate national titles, Coach Flax led the Kansas Cager's professional basketball team to a championship in 2007 as part of his seven-year tenure as head coach.
Even after retiring from coaching, Flax hasn't stopped bringing national acclaim to his community, leading the Salina Liberty Indoor Football team to four Champions Bowls, including a national title as the organization's GM in 2022. Contributed to the participation.
The NJCAA Basketball Hall of Famer (2008) has 612 career wins at the collegiate level alone and will inherit a program that has led to three consecutive 3A state tournament appearances and three consecutive top-four finishes. Become.