Head Coach Julie Conner, husband-Tom, daughter -Cali, & son -Tye
Julie Conner begins her fourth year as the head coach of the ABAC Fillies. She was hired to rebuild the women’s basketball program from scratch after ABAC dropped the women’s basketball program fifteen years prior. “I knew when I took the job that it was going to be a challenge, but I am working hard to make our team more and more competitive each year. Just as the cover says ‘We are building a Winning Tradition’.” And that she is certainly doing….Conner received numerous accolades last year: She was named GJCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year and recognized by the Atlanta Tip-off Club at the Naismith Awards. She was also a finalist of the Georgia WIN and GAPHERD Junior College Coach of the Year Award (all sports).
Coach Conner has a rich basketball background. Her father, Johnny Rutland, was a former head basketball coach and player at Tift County High School. Her mother, the former Freida Zipperer, was a basketball standout at Lowndes High School.
As for her career, Conner played basketball under Coach John Carrick at the now Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Health and Physical Education in 1992, and her Master’s in Health and Physical Education in 1994. After four years as a player, she was asked to be a graduate assistant coach under Carrick and for the next year and then eventually earned the first full-time assistant’s job at GC&SU. There she learned under Carrick, who is one of the winningest coaches in the Peach Belt Athletic Conference. From there she came back home to Tifton for a year and she taught elementary physical education at both G.O. Bailey and Northside Elementary schools. Conner was the Assistant Varsity Coach at TCHS and she was the head coach of the 8th grade team. A former Tift County standout herself, Conner coached the 8th grade Lady Devils to an undefeated season. Only a year later Conner was hired to coach at a 6A (largest classification) high school in Cape Coral, Florida called Mariner High. She posted at 25-6 record at Mariner and took the Lady Tritons to the Elite 8. After a year there she decided to join her husband, who was coaching boys basketball at LaBelle High School, and took the head girls job at LaBelle. Over four years at LaBelle, she took the Cowgirls to the sweet 16 twice and the Elite 8 once. She was named the Southwest Florida Coach of the Year twice, posting records of 26-5 and 23-7. Overall, Conner won 105 games in five years at the high school level.
Not only is Conner rich in basketball, but her family finds deep roots at ABAC. Her mother and father attended here, as well as her brother, Josh, and her sister, Joy, and her brother-in-law Jimmy Ballenger who was a member of the ABAC Stallions Baseball Team.
Conner proudly represents the NJCAA Region XVII as the Women Region Director. She is also a member of the WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) and she serves on the Kodak-All American Committee. Julie is married to Tom Conner and they have two children: Tye (2 ½ years old) and Cali (9 months). Conner says she is proud to be building a winning tradition at ABAC!