Jared Valentine replaces his father as Warner Pacific basketball coach

The Portland Tribune, Apr 9, 2011, Updated Apr 9, 2011

JARED VALENTINE

Jared Valentine will succeed his father, Bart, as coach of the Warner Pacific College men's basketball team.

Bart Valentine, who retired in March, coached the Knights for 12 seasons.

Jared Valentine played at the school for his dad for two seasons, from 1999-2001, and led the Knights to the national tournament in 2000. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury as a senior, Jared Valentine ranks fifth all-time in assists with 371.

After graduating in 2001, Valentine joined the Warner Pacific coaching staff. Since then, the Knights have had seven 20-win seasons and gone 182-110.

“It’s an incredible honor to build upon what my dad and all of the current and former players have done for this program,” Jared Valentine said in a statement released by Warner Pacific. “I see coaching as a way to develop people, not just athletes. Having the opportunity to come alongside our players in their process of personal and academic development is deeply gratifying.” 

The Knights compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, one of the toughest NAIA Division II leagues in the nation, with the likes of two-time national champion Oregon Institute of Technology and Eastern Oregon University. The Knights were conference champions in 2006, co-champions in 2007 and conference tournament champions in 2007 and 2008. The team has made six consecutive trips to the national tournament.

“Jared’s experience, knowledge of our program and passion for seeing student-athletes succeed on and off the court made him the right choice,” WPC Athletic Director Ryan Kaiser said. “For Jared, it’s about mentoring players first, but he’s also as competitive as they come. His teams will be prepared every night.”

In addition to his coaching duties, Valentine has worked in financial aid and student affairs at Warner Pacific since 2003. He will continue to serve in his current role as the Interim Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.

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