Coach James “JJ” Thatcher will enter his first season as the Chokers head men’s basketball coach at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen.

“I first and foremost want to thank GHC Athletic Director Tom Sutera for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball team here at Grays Harbor, and the trust he has given me in doing so,” Thatcher stated in a press release from the college. “Furthermore, I am very grateful to President Dr. Ed Brewster and Vice President Dr. Eriwin-Svoboda and their leadership to select me as the new head men’s basketball coach and staff member at the institution and Grays Harbor community. I look forward to leading this group of young men and making a run to the NWAC tournament.”

“The NWAC is well-known around the country in junior college basketball and many players from GHC and other NWAC schools have gone on to play at four-year institutions,” Thatcher said.

Before coming to GHC coach Thatcher spent the past eight seasons at Florida National University, an NAIA school located in Hialeah, Florida. FNU became one of the top NAIA programs in the state and around the country during coach Thatcher’s time.

During the 2020-2021 season that saw the country hit with COVID and many seasons come to an end, the Conquistadors would see a short season before shutting it down.

In the 2019-2020 season, Coach JJ was able to lead his team to 24 wins (24-6) and received a No. 1 seed in the USCAA National tournament. Unfortunately, the season ended just before tip-off due to COVID-19.

During the 2019-2020 season, the Conquistadors saw three players reach USCAA All-American status with Kenneth Santos, as First Team All-American averaging 20 points per game, Jeffrey Hernandez First Team All-American and Jose Benitez with 15 points per game as a Second Team All-American.

Thatcher led the Conquistadors to another 20-win season (23-9) with a USCAA Final Four run, also receiving the No. 1 seed in the National Tournament.

The 2017-2018 season was a season to remember. The Conquistadors posted the most wins in school history with a 25-7 record. This was good enough for the first USCAA Final Four appearance in the short history of the program, with two First Team All-Americans (Christopher Hall and Terence Johnson), and one Third Team All-American in Santos.

Coach Thatcher has experience at the high school, AAU, and college levels. He has developed a reputation as a tireless worker and a great competitor who understands what it takes to build a championship-caliber basketball program, according to the news release.

Thatcher’s strong suit is recruiting and the relationships he has developed around the country. He has made a positive contribution to the success of the other programs he has been affiliated with.

Prior to Florida National University, Coach Thatcher spent one season at State College of Florida, an NJCAA D1 Junior College in Bradenton, Florida. Head Coach Brock Erickson said, “Coach Thatcher will be missed in the SCF family and athletic staff. He was a hard worker everyday he was here, if he was not in the office, he was somewhere around the state of Florida, putting SCF on the map.”

Coach Erickson said Thatcher “will be missed deeply and hard to replace with the work he performed at State College of Florida. He has a great eye for the game, and he can just flat out recruit with the best of them.”

Coach Thatcher helped lead the SCF basketball to a 24-7 record and the Sun Coast Conference Championship.

Before his stint at State College of Florida, Thatcher was the head women’s basketball coach at Trinity Baptist College for the 2011-2012 season. Before leaving TBC, he recruited the best female player in school history, Nicole Collins, who went on to be an NCCAA All-American.

Athletic director and head men’s basketball coach John D. Jones said in his 21 years as an assistant and head coach, Thatcher was one of the greatest recruiters he has ever worked with.

Thatcher led the Lady Eagles to their first win in school history and an overtime win with only four players after the remainder of the team fouled out.

He was also an assistant and recruiting coordinator for the men’s basketball team.

The men’s program, with four of Coach Thatcher’s NCAA Division I transfers, won a National Championship in the Small College National Tournament. This was one of the best teams in school history at TBC.

AAU has also played a big part in Thatcher’s basketball coaching career. He founded the AAU program Florida Hoopsters to help put young men and women athletes into college. He has been instrumental in assisting many young men and women to get an opportunity to play at the next level.

One of Thatcher’s alumni is Simone Durden, who played for NCAA Division I Florida A&M on a full scholarship. The Florida Hoopsters are still active on the summer AAU circuit.

Thatcher got his start as a player at Shores Christian Academy, which at one point was one of the top prep basketball programs in the country.

Coach Thatcher holds degrees in education and business administration, with an MBA in business administration. He also holds an overall record of 101-48 during his time as a head coach.

Thatcher was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Florida.