Bio

Coach Baxter enters his seventh season as head coach of the Timberwolves and his twelfth year with the Blue Mountain Community College men’s basketball program, bringing continuity, experience, and a proven commitment to player development.

During his tenure at BMCC, Baxter has consistently helped players progress both on and off the court, with a strong track record of preparing student-athletes to compete beyond the junior college level. He coached the program’s first known 1,000-point scorer and has developed multiple All-East Region First and Second Team selections, two East Region Freshman Players of the Year, and several All-East Region All-Defensive Team honorees. His program emphasizes skill development, defensive accountability, and helping players earn opportunities at the next level.

While at BMCC, he has helped turn over the program into one of the high team GPA's in the entire athletic department and have been consistently competing for academic team of the year since he took over. 

Prior to Blue Mountain, Baxter built a successful high school coaching career at Pilot Rock High School, leading both the girls’ and boys’ programs. From 2002–2007, he guided the Rocket girls to a 67–57 record before taking over the boys’ program from 2007–2013, where he posted a 103–49 mark and an overall head coaching record of 170–106.

Baxter’s teams consistently competed at a high level, qualifying for the district tournament in all six seasons and reaching the championship game three times. The Rocket boys advanced to the OSAA 2A State Tournament four times, including two appearances at the final site in Pendleton. In 2013, the team finished third in the state despite not playing a true home game due to structural issues at their gym, spending 81 days traveling by bus between practices and games — a season that highlighted the program’s toughness, resilience, and culture.

High School Career Highlights

• Four OSAA 2A Boys State Tournament appearances
• 2013 OSAA 2A State Tournament — Third-place finish
• Three 20+ win seasons (two consecutive)
• Blue Mountain Conference Boys Regular Season & District Champions (2009)
• Blue Mountain Conference Boys Coach of the Year (2009)
• Six First Team All-League selections
• One Blue Mountain Conference Player of the Year
• Four OSAA 2A All-State selections
• Five players selected to the OACA All-Star Series

Baxter retired from the U.S. Forest Service as a Fire Management Officer in November 2020, allowing him to fully focus on coaching and mentoring student-athletes. He and his wife, Lea, reside in the area.