The men’s basketball coaching search at Copiah-Lincoln Community College has ended with a veteran in both the high school and college ranks being selected to lead the Wolf Pack.

On Friday, the school announced that Randy Bolden, who’s most recently been the head coach at Mississippi College, as the new head coach in Wesson. Bolden replaces David Sanders, who served as head coach for the previous four seasons.

Bolden was a star basketball player at Forest Hill High before continuing his playing career at Texas Southern University, where he was twice named SWAC Player of the Year along with being league Freshman of the Year and one of the leading scorers in the country during his junior and senior seasons.

His coaching career began with an assistant stint at Provine High, before he got hired to become the head coach at Pearl High.

Meridian High hired Bolden away from Pearl and it was in the Queen City where Bolden experienced his greatest successes as a high school coach, winning the 2011 6A state championship at MHS. Bolden finished his time at Meridian High with a combined 227-55 record.

The move to the college ranks came for Bolden initially when he was hired to be an assistant coach at Hinds Community College. From there, he was hired to be the head coach at Jones College in Ellisville, the job that Bolden held before being hired at Mississippi College.

The depth of his experience is a big reason the CLCC administration is excited about the hire.

“We are excited to welcome Randy as our next men’s basketball coach,” said athletic director Bryan Nobile in a release from the school. “We are fortunate not only to hire someone with his experience in the MACCC, but he is well known in the high school ranks statewide. He brings the passion, drive, and leadership to the program that we are looking for and I look forward to Coach Bolden getting to Wesson and starting to work.”

At MC, Bolden coached his son, Rashad, a three-time state championship winning point guard during his prep career at St. Andrew’s Episcopal. Rashad Bolden, who started his career at Southern Miss and McNeese State, recently announced he’d transfer to finish his playing career at Central Arkansas after averaging over 24 points per game last season at MC.

“My vision for Co-Lin basketball is simple, we will be a program built on hard work, discipline, and a commitment to academic excellence,” said Bolden in the release from the school. “We will play an exciting brand of basketball focused on aggressive defense and an up-tempo offense. More importantly, we will strive to develop young men of character who will be successful both on and off the court.”

Bolden played professionally in Iceland, Brazil and Canada after graduating from Texas Southern.

“We are thrilled to welcome coach Randy Bolden to the Co-Lin family,” said Dr. Dewayne Middleton, President of Co-Lin, in the release from the school. “With Coach Bolden at the helm, we are excited about the future of our men’s basketball program. His dedication to fostering high character and leadership in his players will undoubtedly inspire them to reach their full potential. His vision and leadership will be instrumental in continuing our tradition of athletic excellence and community engagement.”

The tradition that Co-Lin basketball has created over the years isn’t foreign to Bolden. At MC, he replaced legendary coach Mike Jones, who’s a Co-Lin Hall of Famer. Bolden worked in Clinton for MC athletic director Kenny Bizot, himself a former CLCC basketball head coach.

“We will be active members of the Wesson community and represent Co-Lin with pride and integrity,” said Bolden. “I understand the high expectations that come with this position and I’m embracing that challenge. I’m confident that together, we can achieve great things, and I can’t wait to get to work and share this journey with the entire Co-Lin family.”