Cole subsequently attended Montana State Billings and played basketball on its Yellow Jackets team.
In 2000, the school began its transition to NCAA Division I, and Cole successfully recruited and developed players that made Birmingham–Southern competitive despite a five-year postseason ban.
[1] After Reboul was informed that the school would move to NCAA Division III, he stepped down in protest in July 2006 and was replaced by Cole.
The Panthers went 20–5 two years later and won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) East Division title.
In June 2011, Cole announced he was leaving the school to accept an assistant coaching position at Texas A&M, finishing his tenure at Birmingham–Southern with a record of 67–35.
[1] In his first season at Berry, Cole led the Vikings to a 19–7 overall record, the most overall wins in their NCAA DIII era, and 11–3 in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).