While the classroom in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose felt stuffy, two new coaches at State Fair Community College did not succumb to the heat of a public forum.
Newly hired SFCC men’s basketball coach Matt Brown and men’s and women’s basketball coach Jaime Garcia introduced themselves to prospective players, their parents and boosters at a Meet and Greet on Tuesday, May 9 in Sedalia.
Brown announced six confirmed players on the roster after seven days of work. Christian Brown and Isaac Bassey are returners from the 2016-17 season.
Both schedules are nearly complete, having been assembled last year. One concern from the audience was regular season attendance. Brown offered an answer of recruiting locally, and getting student-athletes involved in the Sedalia community.
“Putting people there that (fans) recognize,” Brown said.
Beltran said he hopes to schedule a match in Tiger Stadium to boost attendance. He also had a chance to exhibit a sense of humor. After breaking a handful of records at Ranger College, he jokingly set a similar goal for SFCC.
“There’s only one year for the girls, so that makes it easier,” he said.
Beltran emphasized a need for players on the roster. He said describing his personal play style is difficult to determine with the current roster so thin.
When an audience member asking Brown a question disclosed he had 18 grandchildren, Beltran quipped, “How many of them play soccer?”
Last year, Brown was head coach at Wentworth Military Academy. He coached his sons at Northland Christian School in Kansas City and was six years head coach at University of Missouri – Kansas City. He replaces Kevin Thomas, who was named head basketball coach at Smith-Cotton High School after eight seasons with the Roadrunners. State Fair finished 11-19 last season.
Beltran takes over for Eddie Horn, who accepted an assistant coaching position at UMKC after one season with State Fair — the inaugural season for the Lady Roadrunners. Last season was Beltran’s first at Jarvis Christian College, a position accepted after heading the men’s and women’s programs at Ranger College in Texas for six years. He earned NJCAA Division I Region 5 Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year in 2014.
In its first campaign since 2001, State Fair men’s soccer was 4-11-1 while the Lady Roadrunners finished 3-9-2.
