Ornette Gardenhire enters 2022-23 in his seventh season as head coach for the Lakeland women's basketball team and his 14th season coaching at Lakeland.

In 2019-20, Gardenhire led the Lakers to a 25-3 season which included an Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) co-championship and a trip to the Region XII District finals.

The team eclipsed the 20-win mark during the 2018-19 season, a first under Gardenhire. The Lakers finished the season with a 21-10 record, including a 12-4 mark in conference play. The Lakers advanced to the District finals against Sinclair before bowing out of the tournament. 

Lakeland finished 2017-18 with a 16-10 overall record, winning a Region XII District I quarterfinal game against Cuyahoga Community College to earn a trip to the semifinals in Circleville, Ohio. 

Gardenhire was also an assistant coach with the Lakeland men’s basketball program for seven years. During his tenure, the Lakers increased their win total each season and won a pair of Region XII, District 11 championships for the first time in school history. 

In Gardenhire’s third season, Lakeland earned the program’s first district title and NJCAA Division II National Tournament appearance, ultimately finishing eighth. In 2015-16, Gardenhire helped the Lakers repeat as district champions and advance to the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion Mott Community College in the national semifinals. In 2015, the Lakers finished fourth in the country. During his tenure as the assistant coach the Lakeland basketball program has had national finishes of fourth, fifth and eighth place.

No stranger to NJCAA men’s basketball or the national tournament, Gardenhire was an assistant at nearby Cuyahoga in 2003-04 when the Challengers won a national championship. He helped Cuyahoga repeat as district champions one year later and advance to the NJCAA Final Four. Gardenhire assumed head coaching responsibilities for the 2007-08 season, guiding his team to a 21-9 overall record and 12-4 mark in OCCAC competition. The following season he transitioned to Lakeland to work alongside head coach Terry Bowe.

Gardenhire was a four-year college starter, playing two years at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Before playing his final two seasons at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Ornette Gardenhire has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bloomfield College. He also holds a MBA in Sports Management from Tiffin University. He resides in Twinsburg, Ohio.

Coaching Record - Ornette Gardenhire