Josh Wolfe was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2016-17 season. He is in the midst of his sixth (17-18) season with the Western Illinois men's basketball program.
During Wolfe's fifth year coaching at WIU, the Leathernecks' season was highlighted by the team's impressive start to Summit League play and finishing seventh in the team standings, landing a spot in The Summit League Tournament. The Leathernecks kicked off league play 3-1 after upsetting preseason favorite Fort Wayne to open league play, 93-91. WIU made 18 3-pointers in the game to set a new program record (previously 15). The Leathernecks then lost at IUPUI before defeating both eventual tournament champions South Dakota State and Oral Roberts at home by scores of 82-74 and 86-71. For the fourth straight year Garret Covington was tabbed Second Team all-league. Covington also earned Player of the Week honors for his performace in WIU's start to Summit League play.
2015-16 marked Wolfe's fourth year at WIU, and second under head coach Billy Wright. The Leathernecks kicked off the season with bang, knocking off No.17 Wisconsin, 69-67, on the road inside the Kohl Center. The victory marked the program's first win over a nationally ranked team in the DI era. The Leathernecks then went on to begin the season 5-0, matching the program's best start in the DI era. No WIU men's basketball team had started better than 5-0 since the 1957-58 season. After upsetting No. 17 Wisconsin to open the season, Western Illinois received votes in the AP ‘Top 25’ poll (four votes) for the first time in the program’s history. The Western Illinois men’s basketball team's hot start also had the Leathernecks either being ranked or receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll for the first eight weeks of the season (Nov.16 - Jan.10).
Under first-year head coach Billy Wright, Western finished the 2014-15 season, which was plagued by injuries, with a 8-20 overall record and a 3-13 Summit League mark. Midway through the season the Leathernecks sat 7-6 overall and 2-0 in league play. Wolfe and the WIU coaching staff helped guide Garret Covington to his second consecutive Second Team All-League performance after the sophomore averaged 15.5 points per game and led the league in three-point field goals (63).
During the 2013-14 season, the Leathernecks continued to be one of the best defenses in The Summit League and the nation, allowing only 62.7 points per game which ranks ninth in the program's NCAA Division I history. Wolfe and the WIU coaching staff helped guide freshman Garret Covington to a Summit League All-'Newcomer of the Year' award. Covington was also tabbed All-Summit League Second Team after leading the Leathernecks in points (14.6 per game), three-pointers (70), free throws (92), three-point FG% (38.7), free throw % (80.0), and minutes per game (32.9).
The 2012-13 Fighting Leathernecks men's basketball team made history across the board. Western earned a share of the 2012-13 Summit League Regular Season Championship, finished 22-9 overall, recording more wins than any other team in the program's NCAA Division I history, the Leathernecks finished first in the country inpersonal fouls per game (12.6) and second in scoring defense (53.6), and they put together an 11-game winningstreak, the longest streak in the program's history since 1957-58. Western was also able to improve its NCAA RPI from 163 to 137 be seasons end, and make its second consecutive appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. Western's success on the court also helped increase the attendance by a large margin. For example, Western Hall packed 5,089 fans to Western Hall on March 2nd in its game versus South Dakota, which was the most since the 1987 season, and the Leathernecks averaged 2,454 fans per game which is the most since the 1998-99 season. Individually, Terell Parks was tabbed NABC All-District 12 Second Team, The Summit League's'Defensive Player of the Year' and All-Summit League First Team, while Ceola Clark III earned All-Summit League First Team honors and Adam Link was named to the all-newcomer team.
Prior to coming to joining Western, Wolfe spent six years at UW-Parkside and was a part of all activities in the basketball program, including recruiting, on-court coaching and player academics. He also serves as the Director of the department's CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Wolfe was named the top assistant basketball coach at UW-Parkside in June of 2006. In his first season at UW-Parkside, Wolfe helped guide the Rangers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, with an overall 19-13 record. In his second season at UW-Parkside, the Rangers finished with a 15-11 record.
Wolfe served as the program's recruiting coordinator and has been responsible for two key newcomers the past two seasons. In the 2009-10 season Wolfe brought in Jeremey Saffold who nabbed a GLVC Third Team spot as a freshman; the first time in school history that a freshman was named to an all-conference team. In 2010-11 he brought in Jordan Mach who was one of Wisconsin's leading scorers as a senior at Antigo High School. Mach earned GLVC Freshman of the Year award becoming the first Ranger to be honored with that award.
Prior to his time at UW-Parkside, Wolfe spent two years as an assistant coach at Lakeland College, a NCAA Division III school located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In his last year at Lakeland, the Muskies finished with a 21-6 record and a Lake Michigan Conference Championship. This successful time led to Lakeland’s first 20-plus win season in over a decade.
In the two seasons that Wolfe was with Lakeland College, he was instrumental in recruiting. He recruited the Lake Michigan Conference Player of the Year for 2006, as well as the LMC Rookie of the Year. In addition, Wolfe served as the strength and conditioning coach for all men’s athletic teams at Lakeland.
From 2001-2004, Wolfe was an assistant coach at Hope College, a Division III school in Holland, Michigan. In Wolfe’s time at Hope, the Flying Dutchmen won two conference championships (2003 & 2004), while also making two NCAA Tournament appearances (2002 & 2003).
Wolfe, originally from Cedar Springs, Michigan, holds a Bachelor’s of Art in Secondary Education from Hope College and a Master’s of Education from Lakeland College. Josh and his wife Molly reside in Macomb with their daughter Kaelyn.
