.png&width=100&height=100&type=webp)
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- omance@liberty.edu
Omar Mance returns to the Flames basketball program for his third season as an assistant coach and first under head coach Ritchie McKay. Prior to coming to Liberty, Mance spent three seasons as an assistant at Army under head coach Zach Spiker.
While at Army, Mance helped lead the Black Knights to its most successful Patriot League season at 8-6 and its best overall regular season in 28 years at 16-15. Army's eight regular season wins in Patriot League play marked a school record. The Black Knights also garnered Army's first overall winning season since 1984-85, while starting four freshman in the rotation. The Black Knights won the coveted "Star Game" against Navy in back-to-back seasons, becoming the first coaching staff since the Mike Krzyzewski era to accomplish the feat.
During his tenure, he worked primarily with the program’s guards, coaching the Patriot League Rookie of the Year as well as three Patriot League all-rookie team members. Mance also helped develop two-time first team All-Patriot League performer Ella Ellis, who finished his career fifth all-time in scoring with 1,558 point and 190 three-pointers.
Before arriving at West Point for the 2010-11 season, Mance served as the head varsity coach for the North Shore Country Day (Ill.) boys' team. In his two seasons, Mance led the squad to its two best finishes in school history, winning 16 games and making the regional championship game in 2009.
Prior to his work at Country Day, Mance was on the staff of his alma mater, Rice. He served as Director of Basketball Operations from January-May 2007 before being named an assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. Mance served as the Owls' recruiting coordinator and recruited former Liberty great and 2011 Big South Player of the Year, Jesse Sanders, who committed to Rice before becoming a Flame. While on staff, Rice had a 2007 NBA First Round Draft pick, Morris Almond, who was the CUSA MVP and third in the nation in scoring (26.6ppg).
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Mance was the athletic director at Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, Ill., (2005-07). While working at the school, Mance also helped found the Robison-Mance Group, a company that worked with leagues, camps and teams to provide mentoring services to more than 900 youth in the Chicago area.
In 2006 and 2008, Mance worked with Athletes in Action in Nairobi, Kenya. Mance also played on professional tours in Europe, Asia and Canada during the summers of 2004 and 2005. He was named the tournament MVP of the International Cup in Moscow in 2005.
Mance started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Martin Luther King High School in Atlanta, Ga. Mance worked for his father, Eric, an Albany (Ga.) Hall of Fame Inductee who has won more than 500 games in his career.
The Stone Mountain, Ga. native played one season at LSU before finishing his career at Rice. Mance was a second-team All-WAC pick in 2003 and was named the Owls' MVP in both 2002 and 2003. Just as decorated in the classroom, Mance was a two-time member of the WAC All-Academic Team and was named the Rice Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2002 and 2003. Following his senior season, Mance was honored with the Bob Quin Award as Rice's Top Male Student-Athlete and was a finalist for the Creamland Dairies National College Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year award.
A three-time all-state performer at Lithonia High School, Mance was the 1998 Metro Atlanta Player of the Year and the state's AAA Player of the Year. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer and graduated as his class’ valedictorian. He played for the Atlanta Celtic AAU program and helped his team to a pair of national championships.
Mance earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Rice in 2003. He and his wife Rebecca have one son, Zion.
