Roland Ladner—1948-50 Wildcat Basketball

   Roland Ladner, Mississippi's all time most winning boys basketball coach, was a 1950 graduate of PRC.  Ladner is now retired and lives in Hancock County.  He set the record as the state's most winning coach on Tuesday, February 4, 1992, when his Pearl River Central Blue Devils defeated St. Stanislaus 68-57.  That victory gave Ladner 867 wins which surpassed Bert Jenkins of Gulfport.

   Ladner played basketball at Pearl River College during the 1948-49 season under Coach Woodroe Daily, however, he gave up his sophomore season in order to double-up academically.

   The state's premier boys coach started his career at age 20 at Sellers High School in North Hancock County in 1950.  His very first year his team won 3 2 and lost 12.  The next year his unit won 42 of 45 games.

   Ladner joined the U.S. Army and spent two years in the infantry, however, his duty was to be in charge of the gym in Yokohoma, Japan and to serve as a coach/player for the U.S basketball team.

   After service he returned to Sellers to coach in the fall of 1954.  He remained at Sellers, winning 112 games and losing only 20, until taking over at Harrison Central in 1958.  He posted six straight 30 plus winning seasons for 183 victories and only 49 losses.

   In 1964 he began coaching at Hancock North Central where he served his longest tenure at the same school.  His Hancock record was 481 victories and 141 losses.  He left Hancock in 1981 and accepted a position at Phillips Junior College from 1981 to 1985.

   Ladner, who coached girls basketball teams in 1951 and in 1954-59, he returned to coaching girls in 1985-86 at Pearl River Central.  He became coach of the boys Blue Devils in 1988 and retired in 1992.

   Among his many honors, Roland Ladner was inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984, and was one of the eight nominees for National Coach of the Year in 1981.

   He was named Coach of the Year in men's basketball for the southern U.S. in 1982, and was Coach of the Year in Mississippi in 1973 and 1981.

   His teams have won 70 invitational tournaments, 17 district tournaments, 6 South State crowns, and one overall state championship.  He finished runner-up in 19 tournaments.  In 1983 his team finished third in the National Little College Athletic Association and fifth place in 1984.

   Ladner and his wife have three children.