2014-15 will mark Jason Mishler’s fourth year as Malone’s head women’s basketball coach. After posting a 14-12 overall record in 2012-13, Mishler guided the program to a 21-10 mark last season – the highest win total for the Pioneers since 2001-02.
In addition to the 20+ victories, the 2013-14 campaign also featured a memorable postseason run. Malone picked up Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament road victories over fourth-seeded Ashland University and top-seeded Wayne State (MI) University before narrowly missing out on an NCAA Division II National Tournament berth after falling to Northern Michigan University 53-49 in the GLIAC Tournament Championship Game.
After notching an 8-22 record the year prior to Mishler’s arrival, Malone has increased its win total in each of the last three seasons, posting 12 victories in 2011-12 and 14 wins in 2012-13 to go with last year’s total of 21. Overall, Mishler has compiled a 47-37 career record through his first three years as a head coach.
A 2005 graduate (Secondary Education) of Malone, Mishler was a three-year starter at point guard for the Pioneers. Prior to securing the Malone head coaching position, he had been serving as a basketball coach at both the high school and collegiate levels for the previous six years.
After graduating from Malone, Mishler worked for two seasons as the varsity assistant boys basketball coach and the head junior varsity boys basketball coach at Hiland High School, leading the JV program to a 28-12 record during that time. He then worked two seasons for NCAA Div. II Tiffin University as an assistant coach for the Dragons’ women’s basketball program as the institution was transitioning to NCAA Div. II. In the fall of 2009, Mishler returned to serve as the varsity assistant boys basketball coach at Hiland for two more seasons. In four seasons as an assistant coach for the Hiland boys program, Mishler helped the program to a record of 73-18 and two appearances in the state final four, including a state title in 2011 (final record of 27-1).
In addition, he worked as an assistant basketball skill development instructor for Sports City University in Huntington, West Virginia in the summer of 2009. He has also worked personally with Tom Jenkins, the owner of Ohio Girls Basketball Report, the nation’s number one single state recruiting service. Having trained hundreds of prospective female athletes at The Top 64 Basketball Camp in Dennison, Ohio, Mishler has also designed and executed hundreds of individual workouts with the top Ohio High School female athletes in recent years.
As a player, Mishler was an All-Ohioan and compiled a playing career record of 90-11 at Hiland High School while earning three consecutive berths into the D-IV state semifinals. At Malone, he earned All-AMC Second Team honors as a senior and Honorable Mention accolades in the two previous seasons.
Jason, his wife, Michelle (Ling), a 2005 Malone graduate and four-year starter for the Pioneer women’s basketball program, and their daughter Perryn (4) and sons Jalen (1) and Jase (born in July of 2014) reside in Berlin, Ohio.
