Manhattan Christian College Athletics and Athletic Director, Lauren Sanders are excited to announce, introduce, and welcome to our Thunder family, Brad Willems as the next head women's basketball coach. Coach Willems comes to Manhattan from Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas where he was the head women's coach of the Lady Tigers for the past three seasons. Willems replaces Dalton Miller, who took the head women's basketball position at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. Willems brings a family-based culture with a focus on attitude and effort and a great passion for the sport of basketball. His character and values align perfectly with our values here at MCC, emphasizing not only athletic excellence, but also personal growth, spiritual growth, and character development. MCC women's basketball finished the season 17-15 and won the 2026 NCCAA Central Region Tournament Championship for the first time since 2014 and qualified for the National Tournament for the first time since 2018.

Willems played one season of basketball at Neosho County Community College before transferring to Bethany College (KS) where he played football for two seasons. Willems got his start in coaching as a student assistant for the Bethany College football and baseball teams in the late 1990s. From there he has coached multiple sports over the past 25 years at the junior high and high school level, with stops out in western Kansas at Oakley High School in Oakley, Kansas, and Wallace County High School in Sharon Springs, Kansas. Coach Willems was also the head coach for the girls' basketball program at Canton-Galva High School in Galva, Kansas. In addition to his numerous coaching rolls, Coach Willems has spent the bulk of the past two decades working in the insurance field. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Brad Willems to the Manhattan Christian College Athletics family. With his strong leadership and deep commitment and discipline to developing young athletes both on and off the field, Coach Willems is the ideal person to lead our women's basketball program into the next chapter. His passion for building relationships and character-driven approach aligns perfectly with our vision, and we look forward to seeing the women's basketball program continue to thrive under his guidance." said Sanders.

Willems had this to say about this opportunity, "I am very excited about the opportunity to be at Manhattan Christian. I am excited to get to work with these ladies, not just on the basketball floor, but on building relationships that last forever."

Please join us in welcoming Head Coach Brad Willems to the Thunder family. Brad and his wife, Jacque, currently live in Galva, Kansas and they have three children Katelyn, who is an airborne medic in the Army, Jake, who is a maintenance electrician at Great Plains, and Claire, who will be a junior at Canton-Galva High School. Coach Willems is actively recruiting for the 2026-27 season.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Women's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.