Mount Marty University is pleased to welcome Marty Gross back to Yankton as the new men’s basketball associate head coach. Marty, a 1973 graduate of Yankton High School, brings with him an impressive 46 years of coaching, including 41 as a division 1 assistant coach.
“I could not be more excited for Mount Marty University, our program, our players, and the community of Yankton to have Marty Gross back home. He is a dear friend and mentor and has impacted me in so many ways” stated head men’s basketball coach Collin Authier. “Coach Gross is a basketball encyclopedia and a true hoops junkie. He studies the game like no other and constantly focuses on the development of players both on and off the court. Our guys are blessed to have someone like him to learn from and be impacted by.”
Coach Gross’ coaching stops include Birmingham Southern, Jacksonville University, Rice University, Wichita State University, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Missouri State. He won an NIT championship while at Wichita State University in 2011. Marty has also coached over 60 players that have gone on to play professionally including 12 in the NBA.
Authier added ,”I spoke to numerous high-quality coaches throughout this search for an assistant to find the best fit for our program. I wanted to make sure that our program got the best, and we did that by adding Marty Gross. I’m excited to work with him every day to build the Lancer Men’s Basketball program and continue our momentum forward.”
Gross was an all-state basketball player at Yankton High school as a senior in 1973. He went on to play at Jacksonville University where he was a four-year letterman and the team’s co-captain in 1977. He also played on the 1974 Jacksonville NIT team which featured four NBA draft selections. He received a B.S. in management from Jacksonville in 1977 and a Masters in the Art of Teaching from the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) in 1979. He is a member of the NABC, TABC, and Saint James Episcopal Church. Marty is married to Mary Pat Nelson, a native of Beaumont, TX.
Marty commented on his new position stating, “I am incredibly honored and excited to join the coaching staff at Mount Marty University. Coming home and working alongside Collin, his staff, and players is a dream come true. I have deep roots here in Yankton. I may have been away, but Yankton has always been my home and always will be. My family still lives in Yankton and I have many friends here as well. I grew up a Yankton Buck, but look forward to contributing to the success of Lancer’s basketball program in any way I can and making a positive impact in the community.”
