Justin Leslie
Head Coach
Justin Leslie was hired as Midwestern State's 10th head men's basketball coach in program history in April of 2019.
The rebuilding of the Mustangs showed incremental growth throughout his first season building to a strong finish. MSU claimed wins in four of its last five games to claim a spot in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament.
The charge was led by senior guard D'Monta Harris and Darius Thompson. Harris earned third-team All-LSC honors averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game, while Thompson gained honorable mention all-conference logging 14.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Leslie's style and leadership also produced results in the steady improvements displayed by sophomores Trae Jones (8.9 ppg, 37.8 3-point percentage) and Jalin Brown (7.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Leslie made the move to Wichita Falls following a highly successful run at Azusa Pacific in California. He led the Cougars to an average of 22 wins per season in his 12 years at the helm of his alma mater including nine 20-win campaigns, two Pacific West Conference titles and an NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in 2015.
Leslie inherited a Midwestern State program which advanced to the NCAA Division II postseason tournament in nine out of 10 seasons from 2006-16 posting at least 22 wins in each campaign. The Mustangs won three consecutive South Central Region titles (2010, 2011, 2012) during the run which also included seven Lone Star Conference championships, but had struggled to 51 losses over the three seasons prior to Leslie's arrival.
Leslie faced a similar challenge of upholding the reputation of a small college powerhouse at Azusa Pacific after taking over for his coach and mentor Bill Odell, who amassed 454 wins in 16 seasons before announcing his retirement in 2007.
He extended the Cougars' run of 20 -win ledgers registering at least 24 victories in each of his first five seasons at the helm. Then, Azusa Pacific made the jump from the NAIA ranks to NCAA Division II through the tough Pacific West Conference.
During the provisional seasons, Leslie's teams boasted marks of 13-14 in 2012-13 and 17-10 in 2013-14 to set up consecutive league title runs in 2014-15 and 2015-16. In total, the Cougars own 20-win campaigns in four of five seasons as a full NCAA Division II member.
Leslie has been directly involved with the Azusa Pacific men's basketball program for all but one year since 1996 as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach.
Playing Career
Leslie competed as a 6-8 center at Azusa Pacific form 1996-2001. He is one of just five players in Golden State Athletic Conference history to play on four conference championship teams.
Leslie averaged 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while setting the school's single season (88) and career (168) records for blocked shots. As a senior in 2001, he averaged 12.4 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds while leading Azusa Pacific to a program-best 35-3 record. In all, Leslie was a key member of teams which posted a 127-22 record (.852) during his playing career.
Personal
Justin and his wife, Joy, also an Azusa Pacific alum, have two daughters -- Jill and Jenna -- and a son, Jaren. The family resides in Wichita Falls.
Leslie graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2000 before earning an MBA during his final season of play at Azusa Pacific in 2001.
The Leslie File
Assistant Coach at Azusa Pacific -- 2001-02, 2003-07
Head Coach at Azusa Pacific -- 2007-19
Head Coach at Midwestern State -- 2019-