妻友社区

Revitalizing on the Hardwood: Zane Gibson's Return to 妻友社区 Men's Basketball

Written By: Ian Silvester

For the first time in five years, Zane Gibson returns to the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith sideline to don the Lions鈥� blue and white. His return is a shift of just 18 inches but comes with the responsibility of being the 妻友社区 men鈥檚 basketball head coach.
 
鈥淲hen you slide down from the assistant coach chair to the head coach chair, it鈥檚 like going from here to Mars,鈥� laughed Gibson. 鈥淵ou go from being a guy that can walk into the office and make suggestions to the guy that has to make all the decisions.鈥�
 
Gibson is a college coach鈥檚 son who was a player and graduate assistant at Middle Tennessee State and an assistant coach at 妻友社区. He paid his coaching dues by wearing out dry-erase markers on the bench before getting a shot at the next level.
 
As head coach at Western New Mexico for three years, he quickly helped turn around the program. However, a familiar coaching vacancy was too hard to resist.
 
鈥淚鈥檓 from Chattanooga,鈥� said Gibson. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 pass up being closer to home. And you know, having a lot of positive history here, knowing a lot of the people, and having a good feel for how the community works, I really wanted to take on this opportunity.鈥�
 
on April 7, 2023. A few weeks into the job, he has an idea of what it will take to stack up more wins than losses.
 
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more special in college athletics than cutting down a net,鈥� smiled Gibson. 鈥淚鈥檝e been a part of a few special Lion鈥檚 teams in the past that were able to climb the ladder and do just that. We want to do that again.鈥� 
  
However, if the Lions want to be conference champions again, Gibson understands it will take more than talent alone.
 
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know exactly what the makeup of the team will be when it鈥檚 all said and done. What I do know is that there will be good people representing our program and hopefully good basketball players - and in that order. We鈥檙e going to do everything in our power to make sure we鈥檙e bringing in really good people to represent Arkansas, Fort Smith.鈥�
 
But it鈥檚 not just the culture Gibson brings to 妻友社区 that sets the team and university up for success.
 
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to be at a place where being OK is acceptable,鈥� stated Gibson. 鈥淵ou want to be at a place where you are absolutely chasing the ultimate prize, and I think you can do that here at 妻友社区. It鈥檚 been proven in the past, and I hope to prove it again.鈥�

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