Rian Stubbs will continue to be a fixture on the Aggies' bench as he begins his second season on head coach Chris Jans' staff in 2021-22.
During his inaugural season at NM State, Stubbs served as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach where he was involved in all aspects of the program. Despite being unable to play any games within the state of New Mexico due to in-state COVID-19 restrictions, the Aggies still proved themselves as one of the WAC's premier programs by advancing to the WAC Tournament championship bout for the ninth consecutive time. In the summer of 2021, Stubbs was elevated to the position of video coordinator.
Prior to arriving in Las Cruces ahead of NM State's 2019-20 campaign, Stubbs, a native of Corsicana, Texas, spent four seasons at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colo.
During his four-year stint at Lamar, Stubbs served as the head men's basketball coach for three seasons and an assistant coach for one year. Through his three seasons as head coach, Stubbs helped NJCAA D1 Region 9 program amass 52 wins, including 20 during the 2017-18 season. All told, Stubbs helped lead the Lopes to a mark of 78-49 through his four seasons. Under Stubbs' direction miltiple Lamar players moved on to the NCAA Division I level to play in leagues such as the America East, Big Sky, Horizon League, MEAC, Summit League and the WAC.
Stubbs' tenure in Lamar, Colo., was preceded by a very successful one-year run as the associate head men's basketball coach at NCAA Division III program Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. That year, Hardin-Simmons captured the program's first American Southwest Conference (ASC) title and advanced to its first NCAA Division III Tournament in program history. The Cowboys' historic seasons continued in the NCAA Tournament when they posted the program's first tournament victory and were one of the final 32 teams left standing in the NCAA Division III ranks.
Clarendon College, an NJCAA DIvision I Region 5 program, benefited from Stubbs' services for two seasons. He was an assistant coach at the Clarendon, Texas, institution for two seasons before his turn as the associate head coach at his alma mater.
Hardin-Simmons was the site of Stubbs' coaching career as the former player got two years of service under his belt as a graduate assistant with the men's program. Those two years resulted in a 37-18 record for Hardin-Simmons which included a 21-7 showing in the 2011-12 campaign. Those 21 victories represented a school record for victories in the Cowboys' NCAA Division III era and the year culminated with an appearance in the ASC Tournament title bout.
A former college basketball player, Stubbs suited up at Clarendon College before transferring to Hardin-Simmons to finish his career.
Stubbs obtained a bachelor's degree in history and a masters degree in counseling and human development from Hardin-Simmons.
