Nee named new Broncbuster men’s basketball coach
Garden City, KS-The Nee name is synonymous with coaching basketball.
Danny Nee’s three-decade long coaching odyssey took him from Ohio University to Nebraska, Duquesne and then the Merchant Marines before retiring in 2014. He compiled 461 career wins, led the Cornhuskers to the NCAA tournament four times and was inducted into the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame. As a player, Nee laced them up alongside a guy named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Power Memorial High School in New York City.
That brings us to another Nee, who’s trying to build his own coaching legacy. And after a year as an assistant, son Patrick is getting another chance.
Nee was introduced as the next men’s basketball coach at Garden City Community College during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. He replaces Brady Trenkle, who resigned on Friday after five seasons.
“There’s a reason I have this opportunity,” Nee said. “It’s what our team did last year. 21 wins and making it to the region semifinals got Coach Trenkle a job, and allowed me to slide over to be the head coach.”
Nee is no stranger to being the lead man in the ultra-competitive Jayhawk Conference. He spent four seasons at Independence, where he won 77 games and never finished lower than third in the East. Before he got there, he was the Head Coach and assistant athletic director at Highland for three years where he guided the Scotties to their first-ever national ranking and a second-place finish in Region VI Division-II.
“You always want to prove something,” Nee said. “I’ve been able to persevere because of my wife. Without her, I would have gotten out of coaching a long time ago.”
When he left Independence following the 2013 season, Nee was hired as an assistant coach under Brian Zollinger at Seward County. For four years, he coordinated a high-flying attack that led the region in scoring during the 2015-2016 season. He was part of a Jayhawk West championship in 2014 while recruiting Seward County’s lone two-time All-American Niem Stevenson as well as Jayhawk West Defensive Player of the Year, Seccean Johnson.
When the Saints made a coaching change in 2017, Trenkle secured the guy he tried to snatch four years earlier.
“When I first got the job at Garden City, I wanted Patrick,” Trenkle said. “It just didn’t work out, and he went to Seward County.”
Nee’s presence on the bench was definitely felt during his one season as a Broncbuster assistant. He coached Jayhawk defensive player of the year Jett Otchere while putting together an offense that broke the school record for 3-pointers in a season (262) and in a single game (17). He was also instrumental in recruiting Pierre Johnson, who played for Nee when he was at Seward County. Johnson put together an all-conference season where he led the Jayhawk in assists at 5.6 per game.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence,” Nee said. “I’ve gone up against Coach (Jay) Herkelman at Coffeyville and Coach (Craig) Fletchall at Barton. I’ve beaten those guys before, so I know we can do it.”
Nee’s coaching career began back in 2002 where he landed a job as an assistant coach at Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Fl. After one season, he moved onto Hargrave Military Academy, one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country. In 2004, Hargrave won the national prep championship. Following that season, he left to take the assistant’s job at Independence where he spent the next two years.
“I’ve had a lot of experience along the way,” Nee added. “This day is five years in the making. It took some time, but I got back to being a head coach. Now it’s time to go to work.”
Nee was an all-state player at St. Pius X High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. After graduation, he spent one year at Hargrave before transferring to Monmouth University in New Jersey. From there, he played at Johnson County, and finished his career at the University of Central Oklahoma. Recently, Nee earned his Master’s degree in coaching and education from Ohio University.
He and his wife Nichole have two kids: Donovan (11) and Fallon (2)
The Nee File:
Garden City C.C. (Head Coach)
Garden City C.C. (Assistant Coach): 2016-2017
Seward County C.C. (Assistant Coach): 2013-2016
Independence C.C. (Head Coach): 2009-2013
Highland C.C. (Head Coach): 2006-2009
Independence C.C. (Assistant Coach) 2004-2006
Hargrave Military Academy (Assistant Coach) 2003-2004
Central Florida C.C. (Assistant Coach) 2002-2003
