The Journey: Marc Mitchell returns to Division I

On3’s Talia Goodman is showcasing women’s college basketball coaches taking over at new schools. This is the second edition of the series – in which we’ll take a deeper look at some of the 50-plus coaches who took over new programs during a turbulent offseason. 

Marc Mitchell bio

BORN: Elizabeth, NJ

EXPERIENCE: 2007-08: New Jersey City University, 2008-09: Caldwell College, 2009-19: Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham (head coach), 2019-22: Saint Peter’s (head coach), 2022-24: University of Indianapolis (head coach)

PLAYED: Kean University

CAREER RECORD: 31-27 at UIndy

Following two seasons with the University of Indianapolis, Marc Mitchell is back to coaching a Division I program – this time at Indiana State. UIndy was in talks to transition from a D-II to D-I program, but those plans have since stalled. Mitchell said he’s now ready to take on a new challenge in Terre Haute. 

Why Indiana State?

Marc Mitchell was itching to get back to coaching Division I basketball. He’s done it before at Saint Peter’s and turned that program around in his four seasons at the helm. When the opportunity presented itself, Mitchell knew he couldn’t turn down the chance to coach the Sycamores.

“I saw what the men’s program has done in the past and what they did last season,” Mitchell said. “This was just a tremendous opportunity.” 

Mitchell is confident his previous coaching experience will aid him in taking over at Indiana State, and he’s anxious to get started next season. 

“I think I’m gonna do a great job here, myself and my staff together,” Mitchell said. “I think we’ll do a great job.”

Mitchell was announced as the next coach just a few weeks ago on May 10, so it all moved quickly. The transfer portal was already closed, recruiting evaluation periods had started and Mitchell jumped headfirst into building and developing his team. 

“It’s going extremely fast for me right now,” Mitchell said. “I don’t even have my staff in place yet… So many of the players that I was targeting and looking forward to talking to signed or committed prior to the shutdown and now coming out of the shutdown, a lot of those kids are gone. It’s a real struggle right now to get my hands on someone that I think would help this program.”

Marc Mitchell’s coaching style

Marc Mitchell has a specific coaching style that he’s looking to emulate with the personnel in Terre Haute. Defense is a point of emphasis, but more than that, it’s emotion-filled basketball. 

“I’m super intense, very passionate and defensive-minded,” Mitchell said. “We want to get after it.”

He wants his teams to wreak havoc on defense – and says it’s often entertaining for fans of the sport, due to the excitement that comes with the style his teams play. 

“We want to be turning people over,” Mitchell said. “It’s uptempo basketball in transition, full-court pressure, and things like that. So it’s an exciting style of basketball to watch. Not so much fun in practice, but it’s great for fans to watch.”

More than anything, Mitchell said he cares about his players. His proudest moments as a coach are when he’s asked to attend a former player’s wedding or bonds with the team through tough times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Something you may not know about Marc Mitchell

If you watch a game coached by Marc Mitchell, you’re sure to see yelling from the sidelines. He describes himself as a passionate, intense coach. But there’s much more to Mitchell than spiffs with referees or yelling from the sidelines during gameplay. 

“People on the outside see me as Mr. Crazy on the sideline and yelling and screaming at the players and the referees and having back-and-forth banter with fans,” Mitchell said. “They see me in that light. But people really don’t know how compassionate and caring I am, just for humans in general, like basketball is basketball… But being a decent human being supersedes all that.” 

He has a loving family that he cares about deeply, but he separates the two roles. On the court, it’s game time and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to lead his team to a victory.