Following up on some DIRT from last night….
Brett Putz, a native of Forest City, has been named the new men’s head basketball coach at Des Moines Area Community College
Putz, who will become the 13th head coach in the program’s history, will succeed Josh Sash, who departed after one season to become an assistant men’s basketball coach at the North Dakota State University.
“I want to thank Associate Provost Rachel Erkkila, Athletic Director BJ McGinn, and the rest of the committee for giving me this opportunity to lead such a storied program as DMACC Basketball,” Putz said. “I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to return to my home state of Iowa, and a powerhouse program like DMACC with a rich history of advancing student-athletes to four-year institutions.
“DMACC is a place that I have both followed as a fan and recruited as a coach, and I take great pride in the opportunity to lead the program. My wife Jen and I are excited to move to Boone and become a part of the Boone community!”
During his time at Chicago State, Putz was involved in player development with both guards and post players, game planning, team travel and academics. As recruiting coordinator for the Cougars, Putz helped recruit domestic and international student-athletes to Chicago State’s campus.
Putz arrived at Chicago State after a short stint as an assistant coach at Highland Community College, located in Freeport, Ill. During his time at Highland, he was involved in recruiting, specifically international student-athletes, and organized player development.
In 2016-17, Putz was recognized on the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ 30 Under 30 List, which recognizes a group of up-and-coming young coaches in men’s college basketball.
Putz spent two years as the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations at Omaha from 2016-18 while overseeing administrative and logistical duties of the program’s day-to-day operations, team travel and summer camps. During his time in Omaha, the Mavericks tied their Division I record for wins in a season (18) and reached the championship game at 2017 Summit League Tournament.
A native of Forest City, Iowa, Putz served three years as an assistant coach at Wayne State (Neb.) College from 2013-16 where he was the recruiting coordinator and coached the Wildcats’ perimeter players. He also shared responsibility over academic duties and managed scouting reports at WSC.
Previously, Putz was an assistant coach for one season at St. Cloud State (SCSU). He helped guide the Huskies to the 2013 NSIC North Division title with a record of 20-8 (16-6 NSIC). Putz also coached with the Iowa Mavericks and Iowa Barnstormer AAU programs from 2010-12.
As a player, Putz was a four-year starter at St. Cloud State and was part of the Huskies’ NCAA Division II Final Four team in 2010. He finished his career as SCSU’s career leader in games played (124) and was second in 3-pointers made (245), 10th in steals (142) and 18th in scoring (1,315).
Putz graduated with his bachelor’s degree in recreation/sports management from SCSU in 2012 and earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership from Saint Mary’s (Minn.) in 2016.
Putz and his wife Jen will reside in Boone.
