Olivet Nazarene University

Porter came to Olivet in 1998 after a career exemplified by success at every level. At Aurora University (1994-96), he won two Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference titles, leading the Spartans to a 22-6 record in his first season. Narrowly qualifying for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Aurora advanced to the Sweet 16 with two upset wins over Luther College (Iowa) and Washington University (Mo.).

From 1991-94, Porter was the top assistant at NCAA women's basketball power West Texas A&M University, where he learned the intricacies of championship basketball under head coach Bob Schneider, the 1997 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.

From 1985-89, Porter worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Wheaton College (Ill.), and he is quick to talk about what attending a Christian college meant to him.

"Being at Wheaton was one of the pivotal experiences of my life. The coaches there were outstanding role models, and as a result I view a big part of my job at Olivet, probably the most important part, as trying to make a difference on players during a very special time in their lives."

Porter is equally passionate about the value of Christian higher education.

"I'm so glad I had the opportunity to attend a Christian college where professors were just as committed to helping the students as they were to doing research. I'm convinced that students learn best in an environment where their teachers care just as much about who they are as they do about what they know. I loved being at Wheaton, and I love being at Olivet for those very same reasons."

After graduating from Wheaton in 1977, Porter was a successful high school head coach in Illinois and Texas for seven years, where he began to develop his team-first, up-tempo philosophy.

"Basketball is about two things, playing together and playing hard. That's why we like the "Run and Gun" approach: It develops great team chemistry and demands absolute maximum effort from players to be successful. Plus it's the most fun way to play basketball there is."

"I've always believed that the toughest teams were the ones that didn't rely on one star, so we try to get contributions from a lot of players. I know for a fact that no one in the country gets more out of their bench than we do; we had one game in 2005 where the bench scored 85 points. It's amazing what players-even freshmen-can do when given some meaningful playing time in a run and gun style."

Porter also has definite ideas on recruiting.

"We look for two things in a player: quickness and character. We want great athletes who care about their teammates, the kind of individual who has the ability to play NCAA Division I basketball, but who feels that she'd rather be in a more personal, balanced setting like Olivet. Almost every recruit we've signed in recent years have given the same three reasons for coming to ONU. They loved the facilities, they loved our style of play and they felt so comfortable with they way people treated them here."

Porter holds a master's degree in physical education with an emphasis in sport psychology from the University of North Texas. He resides in Bourbonnais with his wife, Pam, who is a second grade teacher.

Doug Porter begins his 29th year as a women's basketball coach and 11th year as head coach at Olivet Nazarene University with a career collegiate record of 243-167. A five time conference Coach of the Year and three-time Illinois Basketball Coaches Association college Coach of the Year, he begins his 14th year as a college head coach with an overall conference record of 97-43 and five conference championships.