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WESSON – The Copiah-Lincoln Community College athletic department is pleased to announce the hiring of Randy Bolden of Jackson, Mississippi, as the new head men’s basketball coach.
“I am truly honored and humbled to be named the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College,” stated Bolden. “This is a tremendous opportunity and I’m incredibly excited to get started building on the rich tradition of Co-Lin Basketball.”
“First, I want to thank Dr. Dewayne Middleton and Bryan Nobile for their faith in me and for entrusting me with the leadership of this program,” added Bolden. “I’m also eager to connect with our student-athletes, get to know their strengths, and begin working together towards our shared goals.”
The native of Jackson, Mississippi attended Forest Hill High School and then played at Texas Southern from 1994-94 where he earned SWAC Player of the Year honors his junior and senior seasons and was named the SWAC Freshman of the Year for the 1994-95 season. Bolden also finished Top 10 nationally in scoring and helped lead the team to the NCAA Tournament in 1995 where they almost upset defending national champion in Arkansas losing by one point, 79-78.
“We are excited to welcome Randy as our next men’s basketball coach,” said Co-Lin Athletic Director Bryan Nobile. “We are fortunate not only to hire someone with his experience in the MACCC, but he is well known in the high school ranks statewide. He brings the passion, drive, and leadership to the program that we are looking for and I look forward to Coach Bolden getting to Wesson and starting work.”
Bolden comes to Co-Lin after spending the last four seasons at Mississippi College where he guided the Choctaws to the GSC Tournament in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, the Choctaws first appearance since the 1995-96 season. Prior to his time at MC, Bolden was the head coach at Jones where he led the Bobcats to an 59-31 record in four seasons. His tenure there featured back-to-back 20-win seasons, a South Division title, conference runner-up, and Region 23 runner-up. He also signed seventeen players to the Division I level in his first three seasons with the Bobcats.
Before his time at Jones, he spent one season as an assistant coach at Hinds after a successful nine-year stint as the head coach at Meridian High School from 2007-2016. During his time at Meridian, he had a career 227-55 record while guiding the Wildcats to the 2011 6A MHSAA Championship along with back-to-back South State titles in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Bolden was also the head coach at Pearl High School from 2004-07 after beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Provine High School from 2002-04.
“My vision for Co-Lin Basketball is simple: we will be a program built on hard work, discipline, and a commitment to academic excellence,” said Bolden. “We will play an exciting brand of basketball focused on aggressive defense and an up-tempo offense. More importantly, we will strive to develop young men of character who will be successful both on and off the court.”
After he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Texas Southern, Bolden played professional basketball in Iceland, Brazil, and Canada from 1998-2002. He also earned a Master of Science in health, physical education, and recreation from Jackson State University in 2006.
Bolden has one son, Rashad, who played for him at Mississippi College and was a 1st Team All-GSC honoree in the 2023-24 season after finishing second in the nation in Division II in scoring and led the team in assists. Rashad was also named to the NABC South All-District 2nd team that season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Randy Bolden to the Co-Lin family,” stated Co-Lin President Dr. Dewayne Middleton. “With Coach Bolden at the helm, we are excited about the future of our men’s basketball program. His dedication to fostering high character and leadership in his players will undoubtedly inspire them to reach their full potential. His vision and leadership will be instrumental in continuing our tradition of athletic excellence and community engagement.”
“We will be active members of the Wesson community and represent Co-Lin with pride and integrity,” added Bolden. “I understand the high expectations that come with this position and I’m embracing that challenge! I’m confident that, together, we can achieve great things, and I can’t wait to get to work and share this journey with the entire Co-Lin family. Go Wolves!”
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