Mansfield ISD announces Lake Ridge’s next head boys basketball coach
Mansfield ISD announced Steve Middleton as the next head boys basketball coach at Mansfield Lake Ridge High School.
Middleton, who has served as a coach at Midlothian since 2014, has 21 years of high school basketball experience. He also served as a head coach in Paducah St. Mary in Kentucky from 1993 to 2002.
He replaces coach Cornelius Mitchell, who departed to become Houston C.E. King’s head coach.
Middleton also has had coaching stints at Eastern Kentucky University (2002-2005), University of Massachusetts (2005-2008) and Oklahoma State University (2008-2014).
Middleton played high school basketball in Brooklyn, New York, earning All-Area honors. He played college basketball at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he earned a spot in their athletics hall of fame as a top-five all-time scorer.
In 2018, he led Midlothian to a state semifinal appearance in Class 5A. He transformed Midlothian into a consistent district threat, and the team has made the postseason in 10 consecutive seasons.
He’ll now lead a Lake Ridge squad that has become one of Texas’ premier teams. In 2025, Lake Ridge was a championship favorite in Class 6A Division I before being removed due to the use of an ineligible player.
In 2026, Lake Ridge posted a 9-3 District 3-6A record, falling twice to eventual Class 6A Division I state champion North Crowley. The Eagles lost 70-55 in the bi-district round to Eaton.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:14 PM.
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