COACHes

HEAD COACH: ED PLASTOW

Coach Ed Plastow is in his fifth year as head coach of the women's basketball program. He has an overall record of 134-82 over the past five years and has led the Lady Fire to four South Region titles and five NCCAA II National Tournament berths from 2002-2008.

From 1999-2001, Coach Plastow led Southeastern's men's basketball program to a combined 44-33 record with a South Region championship. In 2000-2001, he also led the team to an NCCAA II tournament berth, in which Southeastern finished 6th in the country. Coach Plastow earned the South Region Coach of the Year honors in 2000-2001.

Coach Plastow previously served six years as assistant men's coach at Dakota Wesleyan University and also served three years as head coach at Mitchell Christian High School in Mitchell, South Dakota. His teams have a combined record of 159-127 over 11 years of his coaching. Plastow was a member of Dakota Wesleyan's 1971 conference champion team and is a former CPA/financial advisor for a national CPA firm. He also worked with the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets, among other professional sports teams.

Coach Plastow earned a bachelor's degree from Dakota Wesleyan, a Master of Business Administration from National University in California, and a PhD in management from Walden University. Plastow is a business professor at Southeastern and has served as a seminar speaker at basketball camps and Fellowship of Christian Athletes programs. Coach Plastow is an active member in Carpenter's Home Church and the Lakeland Rotary Club. He and his wife Shannon have raised ten children, including his daughter, Sharla, a Southeastern grad who played on the women's basketball team. The Plastows have 13 grandchildren and travel to Alaska each summer for missions work.

ASSISTANT COACH: TONY A. BRACKINS
Tony A. Brackins is in his second year as assistant coach for the Southeastern University women’s basketball team. Coach Brackins’ duties include assisting Coach Plastow with various components of pre-season and seasonal preparation, individual enhancement, and recruitment.

As a 1987 graduate from the University of Central Florida, Coach Brackins played on the men’s varsity basketball team during its entree into Division I status during the 1984-85 basketball season. For the past three years he has served as a contest official at the Division II and NAIA
level. He also served as a contest official for five years at the junior college level and for 17 years at the high school level.

During both the 2003 and 2004 summers, he led his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) girl's team to the rankings of 2nd and 3rd best teams in the state of Florida for their age group. He also has coached at the junior college and high school level as a graduate assistant. Coach Brackins is a native of Chicago, Illinois, but has been a resident of Central Florida for over 20 years. He is a member of the River of Life Christian Center in Orlando, Florida, where he serves as a youth teacher and mentor to the male youth group called the Sons of Valor. His wife's name is Shannon, and he's the father of two girls and four boys.

SHANNON BRACKINS: TEAM MANAGER
Shannon Brackins debuts this season as team manager, bringing not only more leadership but also her compassion to the team. Manager Brackins has many years of coaching experience, having served as assistant coach and team mother for AAU and youth basketball teams.

She is passionate about the players' achievements both on and off the court. Her experience as a licensed minister as well as her work with teens and young adults will both be assets to the team. She serves as a Sunday school teacher, member of the dance ministry, new members' instructor, and teen advisor at the River of Life Christian Center in Orlando. Manager Brackins’ dedication to spiritual growth will help this team mature in more ways than just athletically.

Manager Brackins is the wife of Coach Tony Brackins. They have six children: Shannon II, Krystian, Ronnie, Jeremiah, Jule, and T.J. In addition to being a wife, mother, and spiritual leader, Manager Brackins works as a senior sales representative with Classic Screen Printing (custom apparel/promotional products). Her hobbies include traveling, football, and shopping.

 

TEAM CHAPLAIN: SHANNON PLASTOW

In Fall 2008, Shannon Plastow begins her fifth year assisting in the women's basketball program. She serves as the team chaplain and the spiritual leader to the young team. The mother of 10 children and grandmother of 14, Chaplain Plastow uses her maternal gifts to serve Southeastern's players.

She travels with the team on road trips in her motor home, making two homemade meals per day, providing prayer cover, sewing warm-up suits, altering uniforms, and seeing that all game activity goes smoothly.

Chaplain Plastow has a bachelor's degree in human services and, with Coach Ed Plastow, leads summer missions trips into the Alaska Bush.