KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rocky Lamar notched a milestone 800th win Saturday with MidAmerica Nazarene’s 95-80 rout against Grand View (Iowa) at the Cook Center in Olathe.
It’s a record 36 seasons in the making.
Lamar, who announced in September that this season would be his last, played for the Pioneers in the mid-1970s before he was hired as the head men’s basketball coach in 1986.
He has remained at MNU — where he met his wife, Dr. Jo Lamar in 1973 — ever since.
The Lamars were recognized and presented a commemorative ball to mark the occasion during a ceremony after the Pioneers’ win.
Rocky Lamar is the winningest active coach in the NAIA, which is based in Kansas City, Missouri, and is one of only eight active men’s college basketball coaches with at least 800 wins.
He led MNU to an NAIA Division II national championship in 2007.
The Pioneers were the national runners-up in 2001 and reached the NAIA Final Four on five other occasions under Lamar (2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016).
Lamar, who was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2014, has led MidAmerica Nazarene to 13 Heart of America Athletic Conference championships and 19 NAIA tourney appearances.
He also led the Pioneers to consecutive runner-up finishes at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament from 1997-98.
Five players scored in double figures for MNU, including three players with double-doubles, led by junior Olathe North graduate Anthony Brown’s 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior Cameron Brady added 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while sophomore Raytown graduate Caleb Jones-McCrary chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior Jake Alexander scored 18 and senior Trey Brown scored 17 in the victory for the Pioneers, who are 12-11 overall and 7-6 in conference this season.
