Columbia College has named Tyler Bredehoeft as the new head coach of the Cougar men’s basketball program, the athletic department announced today.
Bredehoeft spent three seasons as head coach of the Avila men’s basketball team, leading the program to its most successful season in a decade. The Eagles finished the 2025-26 campaign with 12 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) victories, the most since joining the league.
“I’m thrilled to be taking over a program here at Columbia College that has such a great tradition and history,” said Bredehoeft. “Coach Burchard and Coach Brock have done a phenomenal job leading this program over the past four decades, and the foundation they’ve built is something special. Our goal is to continue building on that success — to engage our supporters and community, and to give our student-athletes an experience they’ll carry with them well beyond their time here. I want to thank the search committee for their trust in me, and especially Cindy Potter, Drew Grzella, and James Arnold for making this opportunity possible. We can’t wait to get to work.”
Bredehoeft came to Avila from Rock Valley College (Ill.), where he served as head coach for three seasons. During that time, the Golden Eagles posted a 64-35 overall record, won two Region IV Championships, made a Final Four appearance, and recorded 20 or more wins each season. That includes a 24-10 mark in 2021-22 that ended with a third-place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament. In total, Bredehoeft has accumulated a 96-82 record as a collegiate head coach.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Bredehoeft to Columbia College as the new leader of our men’s basketball program,” said Director of Athletics Cindy Potter. “His passion for student-athlete development, commitment to excellence, and vision for continuing a championship culture made him the clear choice to lead our program forward.”
Prior to Rock Valley, the Alma, Mo. native served as an assistant coach at Emporia State University, where the program doubled its conference win total, reached the MIAA Conference Tournament for the first time since 2014, and won a conference tournament game for the first time since 2011.
Before Emporia State, Bredehoeft spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Saint Mary (Kan.) from 2013 to 2018. The Spires posted a 95-57 overall record and a 62-38 conference mark during that stretch, receiving votes and earning national rankings in the NAIA DII polls.
Bredehoeft began his coaching career as a high school boys basketball coach at Tina-Avalon (Mo.) High School.
“I am excited to add Tyler to our athletic department to shepherd the men’s basketball program,” said Associate Director of Athletics Drew Grzella. “He has been successful at every stop along the way, and I’m sure that will be the case at CC. I can’t wait to introduce him to our incredible Cougar community!”
He played two seasons at Concordia University (Neb.), earning All-GPAC honors as a freshman and sophomore, before transferring to Central Methodist University (Mo.), where he helped the Eagles win the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) regular season title and earn a national ranking of No. 11 in 2010.
Bredehoeft earned his Bachelor of Science in History-Education from Central Methodist in 2012, and later earned both a Master of Arts in Education and a Master of Sports Administration from the University of Saint Mary in 2017.
