Pittsburg State University athletic director Jim Johnson announced that he has accepted the resignation of men’s basketball head coach Kevin Muff.
Muff led the Gorillas the past seven seasons (2011-17), compiling a 97-102 (.487) record in his tenure at Pitt State. His 2016-17 squad wrapped up a 5-22 season on Feb. 25.
Muff, a native of Salina, Kan., was named the 2015 MIAA Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Gorillas to a 20-12 record as well as the program’s first MIAA Postseason Tournament title and the program’s sixth all-time appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
Muff coached nine All-MIAA performers during his tenure and three players who earned MIAA All-Defensive Team honors. In 2015, then junior guard Sam Pugh was selected to the Allstate/NABC Good Works Team. In 2016, then junior guard Josiah Gustafson was voted the PSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
“Kevin has represented the Pitt State men’s basketball program with a high level of integrity and character,” Johnson said. “We appreciate all his efforts in guiding the program and positioning the Gorillas to be successful in the future. We wish Kevin, his wife Kim and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
Muff, a former assistant coach at Pitt State from 1990-93, returned to campus after serving 12 seasons as head coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan., where he averaged 21 wins per season over his final five years.
Prior to his assignment at Cloud County, Muff coached five seasons at Wamego High School, leading the Red Raiders to a Kansas Class 4A state runner-up finish in 1998.
He served as the top assistant at Pitt State from 1991 to 1993 under former head coach Dennis Hill, after serving as a graduate assistant for the Gorillas in 1990. Muff served as a student assistant coach at Kansas State University under former Wildcats head coach Lon Kruger during the 1986-87 season.
“I am extremely grateful to the Pittsburg community and the University for everything they have done for my family,” Muff said. “We have been blessed and are fortunate to have had great support during our years in Pittsburg.
“I would like to personally thank Coach (Chuck) Broyles and the search committee for having the faith and confidence in me to build this program when they selected me six years ago. Along with the support of Athletic Director Jim Johnson and the administrative staff/coaches, we have done our best to make the University and community proud.
“Coach (Preston) Ingram, Coach (Antoine) Young, Coach (Kevin) Obungu and Coach (Evan) Burns have put in many hours of tireless work and their level of loyalty to me and the University are unmatched.
“I would also like to thank the players and their parents. The amount of work they put in as student-athletes is enormous and very appreciated by our staff and our fans.”
Johnson said work will begin immediately to identify the 15th head coach in Pitt State history.
“Pitt State has a storied history of men’s basketball,” Johnson said. “We expect to compete for MIAA championships and NCAA postseason appearances and we will work hard to find the right person to lead the Gorillas on this path.
“To protect the integrity of the process, I will have no further public comments regarding the search until we announce our next head men’s basketball coach.”
