Head Coach
University of Northern Iowa '99
474-62 (.884) - 17th Season at JCCC
545-89 (.860) - 20th Season at NJCAA Level
567-154 (.786) – 23rd Season Overall 

Three-time National Coach of the Year Ben Conrad took over the reins of the Johnson County Community College women’s basketball program in June, 2008, the Lady Cavaliers’stature not just rose in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference but on the national stage as well. Conrad has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success and carved a reputation as an energetic leader and relentless recruiter. In his first season, he began to build his program on a foundation of hard work, defensive effort and a “team first” mentality and the program has thrived under this direction. 

Conrad's tenure boasts 11 30-win seasons, eight consecutively, a first in NJCAA women’s basketball history, a NJCAA Division II National Championship and school record 34 wins (2015, 2022, 2024), three national runner-up finishes (2017, 2021, 2024) and five other NJCAA D-II Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023) and nine KJCCC conference titles (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023). His teams have finished as the number one or number two ranked team in the country eight times and his teams have been ranked in the top 10 over 90 percent of his tenure, including a span of 98 consecutively. He also has held the No. 1 ranking 68 times, including all 12 polls in 2015-16, the first seven regular season polls in 2018-19, the final three weeks in 2020-21, five weeks in 2021-22 and the final eight weeks in 2023-24.

Conrad also has accumulated many awards and recognitions since taking over the program in 2008. He was named the United States Marine Corps/WBCA Junior/Community College of the Year in 2016, Spalding® NJCAA Women’s Division II National Coach of the Year and NJCAA Division II Coach of the National Tournament in 2015, Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Women's 2-Year Coach of the Year in 2021, World Exposure Report Women's D-II Coach of the Year in 2021, NJCAA Women’s District Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the Kansas East Jayhawk Conference Women’s Coach of the Year (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). He has coached 21 NJCAA All-Americans, 16 WBCA All-Americans, 10 World Exposure Report All-Americans, 12 National All-Tournament selections including one MVP, 57 All-Region VI performers, 53 All-Jayhawk Conference picks, six conference MVP selections, three conference Defensive Players of the Year, and three conference Freshmen of the Year selections. Off the court, he has had 31 student-athletes recognized for academic excellence by the NJCAA and two earn Academic All-District® At-Large by College Sports Communicators.

Through 22 seasons as a college head coach, Conrad has amassed a 567-154 record (.786), including a 474-62 (.884) slate in 16 seasons at Johnson County.  In 19 seasons as a community college coach, Conrad has averaged 28.7 wins per year with an overall mark of 545-89 (.861). In his 16 seasons at JCCC, Conrad has an impressive record of 70-30 (.700) against ranked opponents in Division II and is 74-43 (.692) against D-I and D-II opponents.

Conrad has turned in historic seasons in during his run as the Lady Cavaliers coach. In 2014-15, Conrad led the Lady Cavaliers to a national title with a 66-64 win over top-seeded Parkland, and finished the year with a program record mark of 34-2. The win over Parkland also gave Ben is 300th win as a collegiate head coach.  He was named Coach of the Tournament and recently honored with 2015 Spalding NJCAA Women’s Division II National Coach of the Year award. The team was ranked in the top 10 in all 13 polls, including spending seven weeks at No. 1. The season also saw Nieka Wheeler earn NJCAA and WBCA All-America honors, and win the national tournament MVP award, a first in team history.

In 2015-16, Conrad’s Lady Cavaliers held the No. 1 ranking in all 12 of the NJCAA regular season polls, and completed an unblemished 30-0 record during the regular season. They went on to finish 31-1 and ranked third in the final national poll, and Conrad was named as the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA Junior/Community College National Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Conrad was presented the prestigious Pat Summitt Trophy at the annual WBCA Awards Show April 5 at the WBCA National Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. 

In 2016-17, Conrad captured another conference and region title, and led his team to a 33-3 record a national runner-up finish at the NJCAA D-II Tournament. He teams have also were ranked in the top five in nine of the 12 polls. He had four players named All-Conference and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year for a sixth time in 9 seasons. His number one player, Austin Richardson, was selected MVP of the conference and first-team NJCAA All-American. She will wear a Kansas Jayhawks uniform

In 2017-18, Conrad's team fell shy of 30 wins for the first time since the 2009-10 season, but they still finished a respectable 25-8, ranked 11th in the final NJCAA Division II poll and reached the final of the NJCAA Region VI Tournament for a 19th straight year.

In 2018-19, Johnson County raced out of the gate winning 22 straight and held the No. 1 ranking for each of the first seven polls of the season. The team went on to post a 27-5 mark and ranked 10th in the final NJCAA D-II poll of the year. 

In 2019-20, Conrad's Lady Cavaliers again got off to a hot start, winning its first 12 games and 18 of its first 19 games. They went on to finish 28-5 and runner-up in the Region VI D-II Tournament.  They also were ranked in the top-10 all season, including three times at No. 2. Conrad also had two players garner All-America status. Krystal Rice earned second-team NJCAA All-American, and KK Jackson-Morris was WBCA honorable mention All-America pick.

In 2020-21, Conrad led JCCC to its second undefeated regular season and finished the regular season ranked No. 1. Despite falling in the Region VI Championship, JCCC was given the first at-large bid in history to participate in the NJCAA D-II Tournament, the Lady Cavaliers reached the national championship game, falling by four points, 53-49, to Lake Land.  He had two players selected NJCAA All-American and World Exposure Report All-American in Jaylen Townsend and LaJahda Boyland, and one, Presley Barton, earned WBCA All-American. He also coached two all-tournament picks, four all-conference and all-region performers, and Townsend was selected conference MVP, the fourth under his watch, and the NJCAA D-II National Women's Basketball Player of the Year, the first in team history.

In 2021-22, Johnson County opened with 20 straight wins, and finished the regular season 28-1, capturing the KJCCC D-II title. His team went on to win the Region VI/Plains District title, defeating all three teams by double digits, and placed fifth at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament. He also coached NJCAA, World Exposure Report and WBCA All-American and KJCCC D-II MVP in Kierra Prim, World Exposure Report All-American Jaylen Townsend and the KJCCC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in Nariyah Simmons. In all he had five total all-conference and All-Region/District selections and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year.  Also during the season Conrad reached another milestone in his 14-year career with the program notching his 400th career victory at JCCC February 21 at Allen. Even more impressively he only need 457 games to get it done. Conrad’s .875 winning percentage ranks among the top in NJCAA women’s basketball.

In 2022-23, Conrad led his team to conference and region/district titles and berth to the NJCAA D-II National Tournament, finishing 1-2 while reaching the Elite Eight. JCCC finished 33-3 overall and were 13-1 in conference play.  He coached three conference and all-region/district performers, including MVP and WBCA All-American Mackenzie Hart.

Last season, the JCCC women’s basketball team recorded one of the greatest seasons in program history. They reached the NJCAA Division II national championship game undefeated before falling to Kirkwood 69-58. They finished 34-1 while winning conference and district titles capped by a No. 1 ranking in the final season Poll. Individually sophomore guards Jazzy Klinge and Saige Grampsas were selected All-America by both the NJCAA D-II and World Exposure Report. The duo was also named All-Tournament, All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference 1st-Team and All-Region 6 first-team. Grampsas was also selected All-American by the WBCA. Joining them on the all-conference and all-region teams were freshmen Taliya Scott and Amani Henry, who was also named the conference defensive player of the year. Head coach Ben Conrad earned his sixth conference coach of the year honor, and his assistant Katie Jones was selected as the WBCA Two-Year Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

In 16 years at JCCC, Conrad has posted 75 wins over nationally ranked teams, including eight in 2016-17. Conrad also owns all 10 of the 10 longest wins streaks in team history, highlighted by a current 71-ame streak that started on February 20, 2020. He also owns54-game streak that ran from Feb. 7, 2015 to Feb. 14, 2018, and a 46-game streak that ran from Jan. 24, 2011 to Jan. 22, 2014. Additionally, Conrad's team have produced 420 total double digit victories, an average of over 26 per season.

Conrad also prides himself on coaching fundamentally sound defensive teams, and has had 13 of his 15 teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, including leading the nation seven times. In 2010-11, his defense allowed only 45.0 points per game, shattering the school record 49.5 (4th in NJCAA) established the previous year. The next season, Conrad’s squad broke that mark, allowing only 44.3 points per game, which led the nation, and in 2012-13, his team again led the nation while shattering the team defensive record again, holding opponents to just 41.5 per game. JCCC made four straight years leading 2013-14 with a points per average of 47.9. In 2015-16, the Lady Cavaliers again were top defensive team, holding teams to 47.3 pee game. In 2019-20, they held teams to 51.7 points per game, third-best nationally and in 2020-21 JCCC was second in the country holding teams to just 48.0 per game. In 2021-22, his Lady Cavaliers as country's third stingiest defense allowing just 49.3 points per game. In 2022-23 they lead the nation holding teams to just 44.6 per game and last year the again led the nation holding teams to just 47.2 per game.

Even more impressive, Conrad has helped 81 players of his players at Johnson County earn scholarships to four-year schools, including 27 at NCAA Division I programs. For his career, 96 players have earned scholarships.

Conrad’s teams have also made the grade in the classroom. His 2006 and 2007 teams at Upper Iowa University, and four of his 12 teams at JCCC made the WBCA’s Academic Honor Roll top-20 for highest team grade point average nationwide. Conrad’s 2012-13 team finished seventh in the nation with a grade point of 3.234. Individually, he has had 31 players earn NJCAA National Academic honors. 

Conrad brought a wealth of experience coaching basketball when he joined the staff at Johnson County. His previous stop, Conrad managed the first three seasons at the NCAA Division II level at Upper Iowa University. After a difficult transition season in 2005-06 as a “provisional status Division II” program, the Peacocks became full members of the Northern Sun in Conrad’s second season at UIU. During the 2006-07 campaign, Conrad’s first Peacock recruiting class arrived on campus and quickly established itself. The campaign saw freshman guard Andrea Downs named NSIC Freshman of the Year, and three true freshmen combined for over 50 starts and 20 points per game in 2006-07. During that season, the Peacocks earned the seventh seed in the NSIC Tournament in just their first full year of full Division II membership status. Conrad’s young Peacocks would win nine games in his second year, the most of any UIU team in five years. They were involved in an astounding nine losses where UIU either was ahead, tied or within a basket inside two minutes to play or overtime.

Prior to taking over the reins at Upper Iowa, Conrad served three highly productive seasons at Des Moines Area Community College. He inherited a program that had only won 18 games its previous three years and immediately turned things around at DMACC, posting three consecutive 20-win seasons. He guided the Bears to a 20-12 mark in his initial season. That club set records for wins, conference wins and advanced to the Region semifinals.

The records continued to fall in 2003-04 as Conrad’s Bears went 27-6 and advanced to another regional semifinal. In Conrad’s final season at Des Moines Area, the 2004-05 squad posted a 24-9 record and was ranked as high as fifth in the nation. When the dust settled after three years at DMACC, Conrad had amassed a 71-27 record, good for a .724 winning percentage, recruited and coached the first two All-Americans in school history, recruited and coached 12 All-Conference selections, spent 21 weeks in the NJCAA Top 15 National Poll and coached nine players who signed with NCAA Division I or Division II programs.

Conrad started his coaching career as a student assistant with the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball program from 1996-99, working under legendary coach Eldon Miller, and one year under former Tim Floyd aide Sam Weaver. He served as a graduate assistant with the Iowa State University women’s basketball team in 2000-01. That season, the Cyclones won the Big 12 Conference Tournament and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Conrad spent the 2001-02 season as an associate head coach for the Graceland University men’s basketball team. While there, he helped Graceland to its best season in five years, before moving to Des Moines Area. He worked under his uncle, Rich Harrop, who won over 500 career games and is a member of Graceland’s Hall of Fame.

A graduate of North Polk High School in Alleman, Conrad earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Iowa in 1999, and his master’s degree in exercise science from Iowa State in 2001. Conrad is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Conrad and his wife, Grace, have three children; Colin (18), Catelynn (16), and Isabella (14).

Conrad's career coaching record at the community college level

at Des Moines Area Community College

At Johnson County Community College