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GLENN WILKES, JR.

HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH

20th Season

When Glenn Wilkes, Jr. took over the reigns of the Rollins women's basketball program in 1986, there was little doubt that he had the background to develop into a successful collegiate coach, but his accomplishments as the Tars leader have been even greater than could have been imagined. After posting only two winning records in the 15 seasons prior to his arrival, the Tars have registered a winning record all 20 years under Wilkes, including sixteen 20 plus win seasons. The Blue and Gold has also risen up to become a perennial conference powerhouse and a national contender.  The team has won 10 Sunshine State Conference regular season titles, six SSC Tournament crowns and has made a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament nine times under Wilkes' watch.

Over the last eight campaigns, from the 1998-99 season through the 2005-06 season, Wilkes has taken the Tars to an even higher level of conference and national success. Rollins is regularly found on the WBCA Top 20 and atop the Sunshine State Conference standings. The Tars have won six SSC titles, four SSC Tournament Championships, and earned berths to seven out of the past eight NCAA Tournaments on their way to a 204-42 record over the last eight years.

Wilkes set the tone for his successful tenure during his initial campaign with the Tars. During the 1986-87 season he led Rollins to a 21-6 record, the first 20-win season in women's basketball history. The following season the Tars posted a 26-3 overall record and claimed both the SSC regular season and tournament championships. The Tars also claimed the regular season title in 1989 and the regular season and tournament titles during the 1989-90 season. The team returned to the top of the league during the 1995-96 season by earning a share of the regular season crown.

The 1998-99 Tars posted a 27-3 record and claimed both the Sunshine State Conference regular season and post season championships before losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Wilkes was honored as the Sunshine State Conference "Coach of the Year" and was also named the Rollins College Student-Athlete Advisory Council "Coach of the Year." The 1999-2000 Tars finished the campaign with a new school record for victories in a season on their way to a 28-4 record, claiming the SSC regular season championship before being upset in the finals of the conference tournament. The Tars again made the NCAA Tournament, winning their first two games before losing in the regional final. Rollins finished the year ranked tenth in Division II, and Wilkes was again honored as SSC "Coach of the Year" and was named the South Regional "Coach of the Year." During the 2000-2001 season, Wilkes led the Tars to a 26-4 record while claiming both the SSC regular season and tournament titles. The Tars earned a bye in the first round of the NCAA South Regional, and then suffered an overtime defeat to conference foe Barry in the second round. Wilkes was honored as the SSC "Coach of the Year" for the seventh time and was named the South Regional "Coach of the Year" for the third time in his career.

In 2002-03, the Tars finished third in the conference regular season, but made a run in the post season tournament and advanced to the championship game. They suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Florida Southern, but still received and invite to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual Elite Eight participant, Central Arkansas.  In 2003-04, they finished with a school record 29 wins and went a perfect 14-0 in the conference, en route to the SSC regular season and tournament championships.  The 29 wins included a stretch of 21 straight victories.  For the first time, Rollins played host to the NCAA Division II South Regionals, where they advanced into the Sweet 16 before losing to Henderson State.

The team followed up their record setting 2003-04 season with a 21-10 record in 2004-05.  The team won the SSC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for sixth time in seven years, only to lose in the first round.   

The 2005-06 season saw Wilkes take his troops to even higher levels, as the team went undefeated throughout the regular season, finishing 26-0.  This was the first time in Rollins basketball history that a team went undefeated through the regular season.  The Tars would go on to finish the season at 28-2, breaking school records for most wins to open a season and most consecutive wins in a row, 28.  For his hard work, Wilkes was named the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year for a ninth time, the NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year for a fifth time and the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for the first time. 

Wilkes is easily the winningest coach in Rollins women's basketball history, rolling up a record of 446-141.  Successful collegiate coaching is nothing new to the Wilkes family as Glenn is the son of former Stetson University Head Coach and Florida Hall of Fame member Glenn Wilkes, Sr. He is now only 105 wins behind the total of 551 career coaching victories posted by his father during a 38-year career. A number of those wins came during the four seasons in which the younger Wilkes spent as a player for his father. A four-year letterman and the one time holder of the Stetson single game assist record, Wilkes was a starter on Stetson teams that defeated powerhouses including Marquette, Southwestern Louisiana and South Carolina.

Following his playing career, Wilkes served as a graduate assistant at Stetson for one year. He then worked as an account executive for United Stationers, the country's largest wholesaler and was the Houston Division Salesman-of-the-Year in 1983.

Wilkes married former Rollins College All-American basketball star Kim Tayrien in August of 1992. She currently teaches at Winter Park High School. They are the parents of two boys, Wyatt and Van.