Johnathan Peña
Sports Editor
Chris Minner joined the Texas A&M University-San Antonio staff on Jan. 16 as the head coach for the women’s basketball program starting Fall 2024.
Minner secured the position after coaching a season at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
Minner also coached in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics programs at Midway University Kentucky and Our Lady of the Lake University. Our Lady of the Lake University is also a member of the Red River Athletics Conference.
The coach said he’d heard about A&M-San Antonio wanting to start a basketball program for the past two years.
“I knew there was talk about basketball and adding the sport for the last few years,” Minner said. “I knew some people here and in San Antonio.”
Minner said he was excited to get the opportunity to coach for an up-and-coming athletic program at A&M-San Antonio.
“It feels good,” Minner said. “Last time I was in San Antonio coaching, I was at Our Lady of the Lake when they started, so I was there on day 1 just like I’ll be here day 1,” Minner said. ”I know the area, and I think there is a lot of potential here and excitement on the campus as it grows, so I’m pretty excited about it.”
Minner’s goals for the new women’s basketball team at A&M-San Antonio are recruiting quality student-athletes who want to build chemistry on the court to win a championship.
“We are going to try and be competitive right off the bat,” Minner said. “It’s new and a part of history, and no matter who comes in it will be their first time playing together so the chemistry on the court will take a while,” Minner said. “I’m trying to bring the best players that I can. Many people like this university and I’m going to recruit to win a championship. That’s my goal.”
Minner had an overall record of 62-25 at Midway University. In his final season with Midway, the team finished the season at 23-9 with a trip to the NAIA national tournament. During his time at OLLU, Minner had an overall record of 189-45 and 123-11 in the RRAC play. Minner’s overall record as head coach is 460-178.
Minner said tryouts will be done in the spring and fall with more updates coming as the construction of the REC center at A&M-San Antonio continues. The basketball program will start practicing in September and have games in November.
Darnell Smith, director of Intercollegiate Athletics at A&M-San Antonio, gave high praise to Minner. Smith said Minner is a competitor and wants to win by building the program the right way and leaving a lasting legacy.
“Coach Minner is a legend in San Antonio and basketball—very successful, game changer, develops talent and knows how to win,” Smith said. “Getting someone of that caliber here was exciting, and he’s done it before and he’ll do that here. It’s exactly what we look to build champions here at A&M-San Antonio.”
Smith said Minner brings a lot to the table with his high marks and achievements in the RRAC. Minner is a competitor with a mindset to win championships on the court and build champions off the court academically and in life.
“I want to see him continue that level of excellence,” Smith said. “We are going to win championships athletically, academically and in life. Coach Minner has proven that he can with his prior successes, and we want to capitalize and continue that motto here.”
