Bo Bivens
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan head women's basketball coach Tasha McDowell has announced the hiring of Bo Bivens as an assistant coach on her staff. A Detroit, Mich., native, Bivens has over 15 years of college coaching experience on various levels. He will officially assume his duties with the Broncos on June 17.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have Bo Bivens join my staff,” McDowell said. “Bo is a well known and respected coach in the profession and comes with over a decade and a half of coaching experience. He has worked with some of the best people in the business on both the men's and the women's side. He is a phenomenal recruiter and teacher of the game. He has a wonderful rapport with people and can build relationships with anyone. Bo is a Detroit native, so we welcome him back home. I look forward to having Bo as a part of our Bronco family.”
“I want to thank Tasha and the Western Michigan family for allowing me an opportunity to become a part of a rewarding vision,” Bivens stated. “I feel that my experience and knowledge will be an instrumental component to the success of the program. It is a blessing to be a part of the Bronco nation.”
Bivens comes to Western Michigan after one year stints at Texas NAIA schools Jarvis Christian College and Paul Quinn College. At Jarvis Christian, Bivens was the associate head men's basketball coach as well as an instructor in criminal justice. Bivens worked with both the men's and women's teams at Paul Quinn, serving as an assistant with the men's staff and as head women's coach during the 2008-09 season. Bivens was involved on the administrative side as an assistant athletic director.
Bivens was an assistant coach at Grambling State from 2004-08, where he was responsible for recruiting, scheduling and film exchange. A Grambling grad, Bivens was also an assistant coach for his alma mater during the 1996-97 and 1999-2000 campaigns and was a graduate assistant from 1993-95. Bivens was a part of five Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) regular season championships, three tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure with the Tigers. He worked with four NCAA statistical champions and five players who went on to play professionally. From a recruiting standpoint, Bivens recruited 12 all-conference players, including two league MVPs.
Other Division I coaching stops for Bivens include Wayne State University (2001-03) and the University of Detroit (1998-99). Bivens helped lead Wayne State to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002-03 and Detroit to a Horizon League Tournament runner-up finish in his only season with the Titans.
Bivens coached one season at Santa Monica College (2003-04) and was a high school boys coach in Copperas Cove, Texas (1997) and Temple, Texas (1996). He worked as a special education teacher at both high schools. As an AAU coach on the girls circuit, he won a 16U National Championship with the Michigan Crossover in 2001. Bivens has worked numerous basketball camps and clinics across the nation including camps for the Los Angeles Sparks and Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Nike Championship Coaches Clinic in Las Vegas.
Bivens holds two criminal justice degrees from Grambling, earning a bachelor's degree in 1993 and a master's in 1995. He is a member of the Black Coaches Association and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Bivens has three children, Ebony, Isaiah and Essence.
Bivens replaces former Bronco assistant Glenn Box who recently took a similar role at Saint Louis University.
