The South Dakota Mines Men’s Basketball program and Head Coach Michael Iseman have announced the hiring of Dylan Backalar as the new assistant coach for the Hardrockers.
Backalar joins the Hardrocker staff after spending the 2024-25 season at Rockford University in Illinois, where he played a key role in leading the Regents to their fifth consecutive winning season. His responsibilities at Rockford included individual player development, scouting, recruiting, community outreach and organizing the university’s first elite camp.
“I am very grateful to Coach Iseman for allowing me to be part of the Hardrocker basketball family,” said Backalar. “Working alongside Coach Iseman in a community hungry to see Hardrocker hoops succeed is everything I could wish for. I am thrilled to get to work with our student-athletes and amazing administration. I am proud to be a Hardrocker and look forward to this upcoming season.”
Prior to Rockford, Backalar served two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. During his time with the Rangers, the team posted a nearly .600-win percentage, including a 21-9 record in 2022-23 — the program’s best since 2016-17. That season culminated in a GLIAC regular season championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. While at Parkside, Backalar was heavily involved in recruiting, practice planning, scouting, travel coordination, and academic monitoring. He coached eight all-conference players, including the 2022-23 GLIAC Player of the Year.
Backalar began his coaching journey at Ball State University, where he served as head manager for the men’s basketball program over four seasons. There, he gained experience in film breakdown, statistical tracking, and team operations.
“Coach Backalar comes highly recommended and has been a big part of multiple successful programs in his career,” said Coach Iseman. “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to work with Coach Backalar and have him on staff. He will play a big role in helping take our Hardrocker Men’s Basketball program to the next level.”
Backalar earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Ball State in 2022 and completed his master’s in sports management at UW-Parkside.
