{{short description|American college basketball coach (born 1969)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Mike Neighbors | image = Mike Neighbors (cropped).jpg | alt = | caption = Neighbors with the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] in 2025 | team = Dallas Wings | position = Assistant coach | league = [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|03|29}} | birth_place = [[Greenwood, Arkansas]], U.S. | height_ft = | height_in = | weight_lb = | high_school = [[Greenwood High School (Arkansas)|Greenwood]] <br> ([[Greenwood, Arkansas]]) | college = [[University of Arkansas|Arkansas]] | coach_start = 1994 | coach_end = | cyears1 = 1994–1998 | cteam1 = [[Bentonville High School|Bentonville HS]] | cyears2 = 1998–1999 | cteam2 = [[Cabot High School|Cabot HS]] | cyears3 = 2001–2005 | cteam3 = [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane women's basketball|Tulsa]] (assistant) | cyears4 = 2005–2006 | cteam4 = [[Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball|Colorado]] (assistant) | cyears5 = 2006–2007 | cteam5 = [[Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball|Arkansas]] (assistant) | cyears6 = 2007–2010 | cteam6 = [[Xavier Musketeers women's basketball|Xavier]] (assistant) | cyears7 = 2010–2013 | cteam7 = [[Washington Huskies women's basketball|Washington]] (assistant) | cyears8 = 2013–2017 | cteam8 = Washington | cyears9 = 2017–2025 | cteam9 = Arkansas | cyears10 = {{WNBA Year|2025}} | cteam10 = [[Los Angeles Sparks]] (assistant) | cyears11 = {{WNBA Year|2026}} – present | cteam11 = [[Dallas Wings]] (assistant)
| highlights = * [[List of NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four appearances by coach|NCAA Regional – Final Four]] ([[2016 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|2016]]) | HOF_coach = }}
'''Michael Earl Neighbors''' (born March 29, 1969)<ref name="NCAA Coaches"/> is an American professional [[basketball]] coach who is an assistant coach for the [[Dallas Wings]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA). He previously served as the head coach at [[Washington Huskies women's basketball|Washington]] and at his alma mater, [[Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball|Arkansas]].
==Early years== Neighbors was born and raised in [[Greenwood, Arkansas]], where he played basketball at [[Greenwood High School (Arkansas)|Greenwood High School]]. His family was very involved in the school system, as teachers, school secretaries, assistant superintendent and superintendent positions.<ref name="Bolin"/> Neighbors completed his associate degree at Westark Community College (now the [[University of Arkansas – Fort Smith]]) in 1989 and bachelor's degree at the [[University of Arkansas]] in 1993.<ref name="Tulsa bio"/>
==Coaching career== In 1994, Neighbors became head girls' basketball coach at [[Bentonville High School]] in [[Bentonville, Arkansas]]. The team improved from a 1–24 record in his first season to winning at least 18 games in each of the next three seasons and reached the state finals in 1997.<ref name="Smith return"/><ref name="Tulsa bio"/>
Neighbors then took the same job at [[Cabot High School]] in [[Cabot, Arkansas]] in 1998 and taught biology at the school also. During his year at Cabot, he was playing pickup basketball. He had bet a high school player he could dunk. He won and played five pickup games that morning. After going home, he was resting on his couch when he experienced a heart attack. Doctors placed two stents in his chest to help with the blood flow, and he was back to coaching the following Friday. However, he decided he had to change his life and he resigned the head coaching position to take an administrative job at the [[University of Arkansas]]. The change resulted in a substantial pay cut.<ref name="Bell"/>
===College assistant=== From 1999 to 2001, Neighbors was director of operations for [[Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball]].<ref name="Tulsa bio"/> Neighbors explains his philosophy: "...be the head coach of whatever they ask you to do."<ref name="Bell"/> He quickly moved upward to additional responsibilities. Coach Gary Blair asked him to help out with camps, then with viewing opponents' videos to write scouting reports. <ref name="Brewer list"/>
After two years as director of basketball operations at Arkansas, Neighbors became an assistant coach at [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane women's basketball|Tulsa]] under Kathy McConnell-Miller.<ref name="Tulsa start"/> While an assistant at Tulsa, the school had their best record in school history (19–12) and their first ever post-season invitation.<ref name="Tulsa bio"/>
When McConnell-Miller left to take over the Colorado program, Neighbors continued as her assistant at Colorado.
After one year at Colorado, Susie Gardner persuaded Neighbors to return to Arkansas, this time as a full assistant.<ref name="Back to LBacks"/> The return home did not last long, as Gardner and Arkansas parted ways at the end of the season. Arkansas replaced Gardner with [[Tom Collen]], who chose to bring in his own staff as assistants.<ref name="Collen to AR"/>
Neighbors was hired by Xavier head coach [[Kevin McGuff]] in time for the 2007–08 season. He continued as McGuff's assistant through the 2010–11 season, during which time the Musketeers were 108–22, winning the A10 Conference Tournament three of the four years, making the NCAA tournament each year, and advancing to the Elite Eight in 2010, losing to national runner-up Stanford by just two points.<ref name="Xavier Stanford"/> While at Xavier, Neighbors was selected as one of the best assistant coaches in the country. He was chosen as one of five recipients for the BasketballScoop.com and ONS Performance Rising Star award.<ref name="Rising Star"/>
McGuff was hired by the Washington Huskies for the 2011–12 season, bringing Neighbors along with him. In their first season under McGuff, the Huskies turned around their 11–17 record from the previous season, improving to 20–14 and making it to the quarterfinals of the [[2012 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT]]. The next year, the team improved again, finishing 21–12, and finishing 5th in the Pac-12 Conference, their best finish since 2007. However, at the end of McGuff's second season, Ohio State decided to move on from [[Jim Foster (basketball)|Jim Foster]], and persuaded McGuff to take over the head coaching position for the Buckeyes. McGuff, who had signed a three-year contract extension just three weeks earlier, was persuaded to return to his home state.<ref name="OSU McGuff"/>
===Washington head coach=== On April 21, 2013, Washington hired Neighbors to be its women's basketball head coach.<ref name="WA hire Neighbors"/>
In his first year, Washington finished 20–14 (10–8 [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12]]). Among the team's wins was a nationally televised upset of then-No. 3 Stanford at Alaska Airlines Arena that snapped Stanford's 58-game road conference winning streak.<ref name="UW bio"/>
Washington earned its first top-25 ranking since 2003 in Neighbors's second season in 2014–15 and made the [[2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] as a #6 seed. In the first round, Washington lost to #11 seed [[2014–15 Miami Hurricanes women's basketball team|University of Miami]].<ref name="UW bio"/>
In the 2015–16 postseason, the Huskies were picked as an at-large bid as a #7 seed in the [[2016 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|2016 NCAA tournament]] in the [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] region. After beating #10 seed Penn 65–53, the Huskies upset #2 Maryland on their [[Xfinity Center (College Park, Maryland)|homecourt]] 74–65 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The Huskies played against #3 Kentucky on their [[Memorial Coliseum (University of Kentucky)|homecourt]] to defeat the Wildcats 85–72 to advance to the Elite Eight. The Huskies played against their Pac-12 opponent Stanford in the Elite Eight, where the Huskies and Cardinal split the season series. The Huskies led throughout the game and they defeated the Cardinal 85–76 to advance to their first ever Final Four.<ref name="What the national media are saying about UW women’s basketball’s surprising Final Four run">{{Cite web |last=Guzman |first=Ed |date=2016-03-28 |title=What national media are saying about UW women in Final Four |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/what-the-national-media-are-saying-about-uw-womens-basketballs-surprising-final-four-run/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=The Seattle Times}}</ref>
===Arkansas head coach===
On April 3, 2017, Neighbors was announced as the ninth coach in program history at his alma mater, where he once served as director of basketball operations and as an assistant. His contract is for six years, at $600,000 per year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-04-03|title=Neighbors leaves UW to become head coach at Arkansas|url=https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/source-uw-womens-basketball-coach-leaving-for-arkansas/|access-date=2021-11-09|website=HeraldNet.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
His first season was filled with ups and downs, as the team finished 13–18 overall and next to last in the conference. They won their opening round SEC Tournament game over Vanderbilt, before succumbing to former Arkansas coach [[Gary Blair]] and his Texas A&M team, 82–52.
In his second season at Arkansas, Neighbors' Razorbacks doubled their SEC wins from the previous year to 6. Neighbors coached his team into the SEC Women's Tournament championship game versus #5 Mississippi State, defeating Georgia, #12 South Carolina, and #15 Texas A&M on consecutive days. But the Razorbacks lost to Mississippi St. Arkansas accepted a bid to the [[2019 Women's National Invitation Tournament]] (WNIT), beating Houston and UAB in the first two rounds at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Neighbors team lost at home to TCU, 82–78, in the third round, ending their season.
Neighbors entered his fourth season coming off arguably the best season for the Hogs ever in the Southeastern Conference, as his 2019–20 Hogs became one of just two teams to ever win 10 games in the league, while his most recent squad was one of just three Razorback teams in the SEC era to finish above .500 in the league. With their 10–6 record in 2020, the Hogs finished tied for third place in the conference, the best-ever conference finish for Arkansas women’s basketball. If not for the shortened season, Neighbors would have guided his Hogs back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Arkansas defeated both Baylor and Connecticut at home in his fourth season, the first time the Razorbacks had knocked off two top five teams in the same year. The Razorbacks would earn a #4 seed in the [[2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament]], but they were upset in the opening round to #13 seed Wright State. This marked the first time since 2014 that a 13-seed upset a 4-seed in the first round of the tournament.
Following the 2020–21 season, Neighbors signed an extension with the Razorbacks through the 2027–28 season. He resigned as head coach on March 11, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-14|title=Coach Mike Neighbors Signed To New Agreement|url=https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/coach-mike-neighbors-signed-to-new-agreement/|access-date=2021-11-09|website=Arkansas Razorbacks|language=en-US}}</ref>
===WNBA===
On March 26, 2025, Neighbors was announced as an assistant coach for the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] under head coach [[Lynne Roberts (basketball)|Lynne Roberts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sparks Bolster Coaching Staff with Mike Neighbors and Sed Everett Additions |url=https://sparks.wnba.com/news/sparks-bolster-coaching-staff-with-mike-neighbors-and-sed-everett-additions |access-date=2025-03-31|website=sparks.wnba.com |language=en}}</ref>
On April 3, 2026, Neighbors was announced as an assistant coach for the [[Dallas Wings]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wings Announce Coaching Staff|url=https://wings.wnba.com/news/wings-announce-coaching-staff|access-date=2026-05-25|website=wings.wnba.com|language=en}}</ref>
==Head coaching record== {{CBB yearly record start | type = | conference = | postseason= }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name =[[Washington Huskies women's basketball|Washington Huskies]] | conference=[[Pac-12 Conference]] | startyear = 2013 | endyear= 2017 }} {{CBB yearly record entry | season = [[2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2013–14]] | name = [[2013–14 Washington Huskies women's basketball team|Washington]] | overall = 20–14 | conference = 10–8 | confstanding = 6th | postseason = [[2014 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT Quarterfinals]] }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = [[2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2014–15]] | name = [[2014–15 Washington Huskies women's basketball team|Washington]] | overall = 23–10 | conference = 11–7 | confstanding = 5th | postseason = [[2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA First Round]] }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = [[2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2015–16]] | name = [[2015–16 Washington Huskies women's basketball team|Washington]] | overall = 26–11 | conference = 11–7 | confstanding = 5th | postseason = [[2016 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Final Four]] }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = [[2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2016–17]] | name = [[2016–17 Washington Huskies women's basketball team|Washington]] | overall = 29–6 | conference = 15–3 | confstanding = T–2nd | postseason = [[2017 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Sweet Sixteen]] }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal | name =Washington | overall = 98–41 ({{Winning percentage|98|41}}) | confrecord = 47–25 ({{Winning percentage|47|25}}) }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name=[[Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball|Arkansas Razorbacks]] | startyear=2017 | conference=[[Southeastern Conference]] | endyear=2025 }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2017–18]] | name = [[2017–18 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 13–18 | conference = 3–13 | confstanding = 13th | postseason = | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2018–19]] | name = [[2018–19 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 22–15 | conference = 6–10 | confstanding = 10th | postseason = [[2019 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT Third Round]] | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2019–20]] | name = [[2019–20 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 24–8 | conference = 10–6 | confstanding = T–3rd | postseason = ''Postseason cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]].'' | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2020–21]] | name = [[2020–21 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 19–9 | conference = 9–6 | confstanding = T–5th | postseason = [[2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA First Round]] | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2021–22]] | name = [[2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 18–13 | conference = 7–9 | confstanding = T–8th | postseason = [[2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA First Round]] | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2022–23]] | name = [[2022–23 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 24–13 | conference = 7–9 | confstanding = 8th | postseason = [[Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT Great Eight]] | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2023–24]] | name = [[2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 18–15 | conference = 6–10 | confstanding = T–9th | postseason = [[2024 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament|WBIT First Round]] | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2024–25]] | name = [[2024–25 Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team|Arkansas]] | overall = 10–22 | conference = 3–13 | confstanding = T–13th | postseason = | ranking = | ranking2 = }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal | name =Arkansas | overall = {{Winning percentage|148|113|record=y}} | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|51|76|record=y}} }} {{CBB yearly record end | overall = {{Winning percentage|246|154|record=y}} }}
==References== {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="NCAA Coaches">{{cite web|title=Women's Basketball Coaches Career|url=http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/careercoach|website=NCAA|access-date=25 Sep 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="UW bio">{{cite web|title=Mike Neighbors|url=http://www.gohuskies.com/coaches.aspx?rc=620&path=wbball|work=University of Washington|access-date=August 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818203521/http://www.gohuskies.com/coaches.aspx?rc=620&path=wbball|archive-date=August 18, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Bolin">{{cite news|last=Bolin |first=Eric |title=From Greenwood To Seattle: Neighbors' Wild Ride |date=June 8, 2013 |url=http://swtimes.com/sections/sports/greenwood-seattle-neighbors%E2%80%99-wild-ride.html |newspaper=Times Record |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730010050/http://swtimes.com/sections/sports/greenwood-seattle-neighbors%E2%80%99-wild-ride.html |archive-date=July 30, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Tulsa bio">{{cite web|title=Mike Neighbors|url=http://www.tulsahurricane.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/neighbors_mike00.html|work=Tula Golden Hurricane|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730012547/http://www.tulsahurricane.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/neighbors_mike00.html|archive-date=July 30, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Smith return">{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Bill|date=2009-10-29|title=Neighbors returns to Lady'Back basketball|url=http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=274498|work=Arkansas Athletics, University of Arkansas|access-date=29 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Bell">{{cite web|last=Bell|first=Gregg |date=April 24, 2013|title=Unleashed: Neighbors Is Not Your Everyday Hoops Coach|url=http://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30200&ATCLID=208476511|work=University of Washington Athletics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022164855/http://www.gohuskies.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30200&ATCLID=208476511|archive-date=October 22, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Brewer list">{{cite news|last=Brewer |first=Jerry|title=Washington women's basketball assistant coach Mike Neighbors has a list for everything|date=December 7, 2011|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/jerrybrewer/2016961161_brewer08.html|newspaper=The Seattle Times|access-date=29 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Tulsa start">{{cite web|date=June 26, 2001|title=Neighbors joins Tulsa staff|url=http://thecabin.net/stories/062601/spo_0626010041.shtml|work=thecabin.net|access-date=29 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Back to LBacks">{{cite web|last=Tarver|first=Vernon|date=June 26, 2001|title=Neighbors joins Tulsa staff|url=http://thecabin.net/stories/050606/spo_0506060039.shtml|work=thecabin.net|access-date=31 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Collen to AR">{{cite web|date=March 23, 2007|title=Tom Collen Resigns as Women's Basketball Coach|url=http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032307aaa.html|work=Louisville Cardinals|access-date=31 Jul 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054758/http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032307aaa.html|archive-date=8 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="Rising Star">{{cite web|date=May 4, 2009|title=Mike Neighbors Selected as One of the Best Assistant Coaches in the Country|url=http://www.goxavier.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050409aaa.html|work=Xavier University|access-date=31 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Xavier Stanford">{{cite web|date=March 29, 2010|title=Pohlen goes coast-to-coast to beat buzzer, Xavier and send Stanford to San Antonio|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=300880024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140806034807/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=300880024|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 6, 2014|publisher=ESPN|access-date=31 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="OSU McGuff">{{cite web|date=April 16, 2013|title=Ohio State hires Kevin McGuff|url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9180413/ohio-state-hires-kevin-mcguff-women-coach|publisher=ESPN|access-date=31 Jul 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="WA hire Neighbors">{{cite news|last=Allen |first=Percy|title=Huskies introduce Mike Neighbors as women's basketball coach|date=April 26, 2013|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/huskybasketball/2020869428_huskywomen27.html|newspaper=The Seattle Times|access-date=31 Jul 2014}}</ref>
}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Neighbors, Mike}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Basketball coaches from Arkansas]] [[Category:Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:High school basketball coaches in the United States]] [[Category:People from Bentonville, Arkansas]] [[Category:People from Greenwood, Arkansas]] [[Category:Tulsa Golden Hurricane women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:University of Arkansas alumni]] [[Category:University of Arkansas–Fort Smith alumni]] [[Category:Washington Huskies women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Xavier Musketeers women's basketball coaches]]