Coaching Staff
Head Coach | Tim Kirby
The 2024-25 season will be the 20th as head women's basketball coach for the Lady Bisons' Tim Kirby. He has led the Lady Bisons to 18 straight conference tournament berths and directed the 2017 team to a 31-4 record and an appearance in the national semifinals.
Kirby's teams have won four Great American Conference regular season championships (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020) and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament four times. The 2015 and 2017 teams also won the GAC Tournament.
In his 19 seasons as head coach, Kirby has compiled a 376-176 overall record. He earned GAC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2017 and 2020.
Kirby has coached 47 all-conference honorees, three conference players of the year, seven conference freshmen of the year and five GAC Elite Scholar Athletes.
Kirby's first 12 years at Harding were spent as assistant men's basketball coach. The Bisons earned nine postseason playoff appearances while Kirby assisted head coach Jeff Morgan.
Before coming to Harding, Kirby spent five years at NJCAA member Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma. Kirby was the assistant men's basketball coach from 1988-1990 and head men's basketball coach from 1990-1993.
Coach Kirby's playing experience was at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1986. His master's degree was earned from GAC member institution, East Central University, in 1990.
The Lawton, Oklahoma, native and wife, Kathy, have two sons, Zach and Mitchell.
Assistant Coach | Rusty Garner
At Harding
Rusty Garner joined the women's basketball coaching staff in 2024-25.
Before Harding
Garner spent four years as the assistant girls coach at Harding Academy, helping the Lady Wildcats to the 2004 Class AA state championship. In 2007, he took over as head coach and compiled a 374-164 record over the next 17 seasons, averaging 22 wins per year. The Lady Wildcats advanced to the state tournament in 15 of those 17 seasons making the state quarterfinals eight times, the state semifinals three times and the state championship game in 2014. The team also won eight conference tournaments and reached nine regional finals.
Garner was named conference coach of the year nine times, state coach of the year in 2014 and coached in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star game four times.
Garner also led the Harding Academy softball team as head coach for 13 seasons where the team advanced to the state semifinals four times and the state championship game twice.
Education
Garner earned his Bachelor of Arts in in kinesiology at Harding in 2004 and his master's in kinesiology and sport administration in 2022.
Family
Garner is married to the former Rachel Roland of Memphis, Tennessee.
