Georgia College

>>>2015-16 PBC Co-Coach of the Year

Mark Gainous enters his eighth season as the head coach of Bobcat Men's Basketball. In his time in charge of the Bobcats, Gainous steered a major turnaround. 

The abbreviated 2020-21 season was a special one for Bobcat Men's Hoops, as they cracked the NABC National Rankings for the first time since the 2009-10 school year. The Bobcats reached as high as No. 25. The Bobcats also finished as No. 2-seed, hosting a PBC Tournament game. GC had three All-PBC honorees for the first time in program history, with Jordan Thomas becoming the first three-time All-PBC pick in school history as well. Brandon Thomas won the Elite-16 Award, while Jordan Thomas was a Jordan Thomas was NABC All-District. The Bobcats also earned the PBC Sportsmanship Team Award as well. 

In 2019-20, the Bobcats upset No. 3-seed Augusta in the opening round of the PBC Tournament, falling at eventual-champion Lander in the semifinals. The victory was the first for GC Men's Basketball in the PBC tourney since 2009.

In 2018-19, the team went 17-12, falling in the PBC Quarterfinal. The team posted a win over No. 25 UNC Pembroke and Isaac Thomas broke the career rebounding record in the Peach Belt. The team had the fewest turnovers in the PBC, averaging just 12.5 per contest.

The 2017-18 campaign brought the second PBC Freshman of the Year under Gainous' guidance, as guard Jordan Thomas was named the best rookie. Gainous has one All-American, two All-Conference Honorees and an Academic All-District selection in his five years.

Gainous' success in year two earned him Co-Peach Belt Coach of the Year. Bobcats swept the Peach Belt end of season awards, as Terrell Harris was named Player of the Year and Isaac Thomas earned Co-Freshman of the Year. Harris earned All-America and All-Region status as well as a spot in the D2 Senior All-Star Game. The Bobcats got their first PBC Elite 15 Award in 2015-16, as Evyn Smith had the top GPA among the teams in the PBC Tournament.

In the 2014-15 season a young Bobcat team went 9-19 and won the PBC's Team Sportsmanship Award. In 2015-16 the Bobcats and Gainous stunned the rest of the PBC on their way to an 18-11 overall record and a Peach Belt Tournament berth.

Gainous patrolled the sidelines for the Bobcats for 11 seasons as assistant men's basketball coach. As an assistant, Gainous helped the team to a 177-131 (.575) record, including four 20-win seasons. The Bobcats picked up a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Regular-Season title in 2005-06, and earned three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet-16 run in 2006.

Gainous has helped coach 18 student-athletes to All-PBC status, including PBC Player of the Year and All-American Honorable Mention Jeremy Mayweather (2004-06), and 2015-16 PBC Player of the Year and All-American Honorable Mention Harris. 

Gainous is the eighth head coach in Georgia College men's basketball history.

He came to Georgia College from Shorter College in Rome, Ga. where he served as an assistant coach under head coach Ricky Williams for three seasons, also helping coach the golf team and serving as the Sports Information Director.

Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team at Georgia Southwestern State University under head coach Kip Drown in Americus, Ga. where he earned his Bachelor's degree in 1999 and Master's in 2000, both in Business Management. He also completed a Master's in Physical Education from Jacksonville State University in Alabama in 2003.

Gainous graduated from Cairo High School in 1995 and was a three year letterman in basketball at GSW under head coach Randolph Barksdale where he twice earned academic all-conference honors. 

He is married to the former Natasha Stotler, a graduate assistant coach for the Georgia College women's basketball team from 2007-09. They had their first child, Abram Mark, in 2010 and their second, Annie Grove, in 2014. They reside in Perry.