Zack Janus Assistant Basketball Coach

Zachary Janus (YAWN-us) is in his 3rd season as assistant coach on Coach Dennis Helms' staff.

Since joining the Wrangler staff in August 2009, Janus has been the primary day-to-day administrator in the men’s basketball office, handling academics, daily office operations, and organizing the players’ schedules. Another integral part of Janus’ position is handling every aspect of team travel, including all post-season appearances. He is heavily involved with scouting opponents and ’community involvement.

Janus came to Odessa from the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he served under Brett Campbell for one season as a Division I certified recruiting assistant coach. Janus oversaw multiple aspects of the Skyhawks’ program including video exchange and editing, day-to-day operations, travel, scouting, scheduling, and player development.  Other essential responsibilities included coaching on the floor, individual player workouts, and recruiting. Janus also organized and oversaw the Skyhawks’ summer camps.

During Janus’ one-year tenure at UT-Martin, he played an integral part in a season which included many firsts for the Skyhawks men’s basketball program. Janus helped lead the Skyhawks to their first-ever Ohio Valley Conference championship, the school’s first-ever NCAA post-season berth in the National Invitation Tournament, as well as it’s first-ever 20-win season as a Division 1 school, finishing with a 22-10 record.  Janus coached standout Skyhawks player Lester Hudson, who has since been drafted by the Boston Celtics.

At UT-Martin, Janus also coached former Wrangler Delrico Lane, who spoke highly of and recommended Janus to Coach Helms. “Everybody who has dealt with him said he has a great work ethic,” Helms said of Janus. “He’s a person who works hard and is willing to learn. He definitely has a recruiter’s personality.”

Prior to joining the UT-Martin staff, Janus spent the five years at the University of Nebraska where he was a student assistant under both head coaches Barry Collier and Doc Sadler. At Nebraska, Janus assisted the coaching staff, director of operations and video coordinator with a variety of daily assignments, assisted with daily workouts as assigned, and gained valuable knowledge through the opponent scouting process. During game days, Janus played a significant role in game setup and assisted the coaching staff with statistics and game management. Janus was named head manager during his final two seasons, a position through which he oversaw the student staff, in addition to maintaining his aforementioned duties.

A native of Eustis, Nebraska, Janus graduated from the University of Nebraska in May 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and minors in education and coaching. Janus’ family includes his parents, Tony and Debbie Janus of Eustis and sister and brother-in-law, Torrey and Cody Gerdes of Lincoln, Nebraska.