Southwest Mississippi Community College has hired Zach Mills as head coach for the men’s soccer program.
Mills will serve as interim coach for the women.
College trustees voted to hire Mills on Tuesday night.
Mills spent the past three seasons as assistant for both teams at Southwest. He replaces Drew Gallant, who recently accepted the men’s head coaching position at Pearl River Community College.
Mills came to Southwest in 2012 after three seasons as coach of the boys’ soccer team at his alma mater, Petal High School. As a sophomore and senior, he led the Panthers in scoring and played in the Mississippi High School All-Star game in his final season. In his first season as coach, he helped guide the team to a district championship.
A 2010 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in business administration, Mills also attended and played soccer at Jones County Junior College and Delta State University.
He is working toward a master’s degree in Spanish and a master’s in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
In between his second and third seasons at Southwest, Mills played professional soccer in Peru. He led his team in scoring with 32 points.
“First, I want to thank (Southwest president) Dr. (Steve) Bishop, Dr. (Bill) Ashley and the board members for giving me this opportunity,” Mills said. “I’m very blessed. I thank God for my abilities (and) I’m glad Southwest has noticed my skills and the effort I’ve put toward.”
Mills also thanked Gallant “for everything I’ve learned. I’m excited for him. I’m glad he got his opportunity. But, I can’t wait to put my own personal touch on this program. I’m looking forward to next season and am looking forward to the spring because all of our players can’t wait to improve, train hard.”
“The players coming back are excited,” Mills said, “The players coming in are excited and I’m very excited, as well, about the next season. We’re ready to go.”
Bishop expressed complete confidence in Mills.
“He’s done a good job at Southwest,” Bishop said. “This will be a good move for his family.”
Ashley said that Mills is “an enthusiastic, young and budding soccer coach. He has also been a strong student advocate while working in the housing department of the SMCC Student Affairs Division. He has played collegiate as well as professional soccer.”
“Zach brings strong organizational skills, leadership and a strong background in soccer to the college,” Ashley continued. “He is a fine example for our student-athletes. I feel he will propel our men’s soccer program to the next level and will bring stability to the women’s program until we search for and hire our women’s head coach in the coming weeks.”
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lauren tobin, a staff writer for the Enterprise-Journal, contributed to this report.
