| Title: | Men's Basketball Head Coach |
| Phone: | (580) 477-7871 |
| Email: | rolando.delabarrera@wosc.edu |
Rolando De La Barrera enters his eighteenth season as the Head Coach of the Pioneers.
The 22/23 season saw the Western Pioneers reach the Region 2 Finals for the first time since 1980. The Pioneers led the NJCAA in three-pointers made per game (13.5) en route to a 21-12 record and regional finals appearance.
In 2017 Coach Ro surpassed 200 career victories at Western Oklahoma State College, making him the all-time win leader at WOSC. Coach Ro holds an on-court record of 285-247 at WOSC and a career head coaching record of 561-353.
Since he arrived in 2006, the Pioneers have advanced to the Regional Tournament 12 out of 17 years and ranked nationally twice. Coach Ro has won Region 2 Coach of the Year once.
Eighty-five players have moved on to four-year colleges or pro since his arrival, and (20) to the NCAA D1 level. Western men have produced 23 All-Conference players and 16 All-Region players, with 8 of them being first-team members. The Pioneers have produced 3 All-Americans during Coach Ro's tenure as well.
Coach De La Barrera has also served as Women's Head Coach at Western Oklahoma State College (2009/2012), improving the overall win total each year, culminating with a double-digit win column his final season and upset of eventual Region Champion and nationally ranked NEO at home.
Coach De La Barrera came to Western Oklahoma State from New Mexico State University, where he served as Director of Basketball Operations for NBA great Reggie Theus. De La Barrera was part of a staff that turned a 6-24 team into a WAC contender (16-14).
Prior to NMSU, De La Barrera served as the top assistant for Jeff Kidder at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, for the 2004/2005 season. Dixie State (NJCAA) was pre-season ranked # 1 in the country by the Sporting News.
A well-known prep Head Coach, Coach De La Barrera directed programs: Laurinburg Institute High School (NC), The Berkshire School (FL), Champagnat Catholic (FL), and Miami Country Day School (FL). He has posted a 269-106 record, and his teams have won major tournaments, District, and Region championships, and have been ranked nationally.
As a Prep Coach, he has produced over 60 Division One signees and is known as an effective International recruiter, having conducted clinics in over ten countries. Twenty-seven of his former players have played professionally.
Coach De La Barrera has written for Eurobasket and worked closely with a number of International Basketball Federations, assisting them with the development of their talent. Among his former players are national team members from the Republic of Panama, Jamaica, Commonwealth of Dominica, Barbados, Brazil, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Honduras, Gambia, Cameroon, Yvory Coast, and Bulgaria.
De La Barrera earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Thomas University in 1989 with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. He also holds an associate's degree from Miami Dade Community College in Psychology.
