Kevin Vande Streek has announced his retirement as Calvin College men’s basketball coach.
Vande Streek will remain at Calvin as a professor and administrator.
A native of Waupun, Wisconsin, Vande Streek retires after a 23-year run as head coach of the Knights. He is the longest tenured head coach in Calvin men’s basketball history. He is also the all-time leader in victories in Calvin men’s basketball history, recording a record of 435-208 (.677) that includes nine MIAA regular season titles, nine MIAA Tournament crowns and 10 trips to the NCAA III Tournament.
In 2000, he led Calvin to the school’s second national title in men’s basketball as the Knights finished 30-2 overall, defeating Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the national championship final. He was subsequently named the Division III National Coach of the Year by several organizations including the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
He brought the Knights back to the NCAA III Tournament national semifinals in 2005 and led Calvin to the NCAA III Tournament Round of 16 in 2013 and 2014.
Prior to accepting the position as Calvin men’s basketball coach, Vande Streek served as head coach of the University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball program, compiling a 93-80 record.
He retires with an overall won-loss record of 528-288 (.647). He is currently ranked 12th all-time on the NCAA Division III men’s basketball coaching list in coaching victories.
He has also served as a member of the NCAA III Tournament Committee including a year as national tournament chair. Vande Streek is a 1981 graduate of Dordt College. He later received a master’s degree in physical education from the University of South Dakota in 1986.
“It is certainly with deep and mixed emotions that I move from what has been my life’s work, but this is a decision that I feel is right,” said Vande Streek. “God has blessed me in my time as coach, has helped me through this process, and will continue to guide my life. I will cherish the relationships that I have been able to build with players, coaches and so many others in my time as a coach.”
Calvin Director of Athletics Dr. Jim Timmer lauded the work of Vande Streek in his 23 years at Calvin.
“I would like to personally thank Kevin Vande Streek for his tremendous coaching career and I look forward to his continued service to the college as a professor and administrator,” said Timmer. “We are very grateful for his dedicated service. He has had a tremendous impact on hundreds of student-athletes as well as the student body as a whole. As I have worked closely with him, I have learned to appreciate the pressures and difficulties of the job as Calvin men’s basketball coach. Despite these pressures, he handled his position with grace and dignity.”
Vande Streek and his wife Vicki have four boys, two daughter-in-laws and six grandchildren.
A national search for a new head men’s basketball coach at Calvin will begin immediately.
http://calvinknights.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/20190228vfjft0
