After a nationwide search Director of Athletics Bob Grisham has announced that Michael Ostlund is the new head men’s basketball coach at Saint Martin’s University.
“This was the deepest applicant pool we have ever had for this position, and many with collegiate head coaching experience that made it a difficult task for the search committee,” said Grisham.
“Michael brings experience as a NCAA Division I player (Weber State University) and as a coach with experience at all levels, having spent the last five years as the head coach at Snow College (Ephraim, Utah) in one of the top junior college conferences in the country. He has recruiting contacts with a vast coaching network throughout the Northwest region as well as nationally.”
“He combines a passion for the game of basketball, an understanding of the balance between athletics and academics and a real appreciation for the history and culture of Saint Martin’s, which makes him an ideal fit for our university.”
Ostlund served as the head coach at Snow College from 2007-12 spending five seasons at the helm of the Badgers program. He put together his most successful season in 2011-12 as he led the squad to a record of 23-9 and a record of 44-19 (.698) in his final two seasons.
“I am grateful for the opportunity, and honored to be the head coach at Saint Martin’s University,” said Coach Ostlund from his current home just outside Salt Lake City. “I appreciate the confidence from the SMU administration, and am excited to be heading back to Lacey.”
“I fully understand the challenges that lie ahead in building the basketball program at SMU, competing in the best Division II conference in the country. We will do everything possible to compete for championships with integrity, our team will represent SMU with pride, and our focus will be on our student-athletes and their success.”
The Badgers posted nine wins over nationally ranked National Junior College Association of America teams (NJCAA) during the 2011-12 season as the team finished second in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) advancing to the semifinals of the Region 18 Tournament. His team was ranked as high as 17th in the national poll and spent several weeks in the top 25 or receiving votes in his final two seasons.
Ostlund brings 16 years of coaching experience to Saint Martin’s having served as the assistant coach at Salt Lake Community College for five seasons (2002-07) where he helped contribute to the program’s 116-44 record. During that time the team had five 20 win seasons and advanced to the Region 18 Tournament Championship game twice.
He served as an assistant coach for five years here with the Saints from 1997-2002. Ostlund was also an assistant at Bonneville High School in Ogden, Utah, for three seasons, preceded by his first coaching position as an assistant at Weber State University.
He graduated from Weber State with a bachelor’s degree in integrated studies and completed his master’s in business administration at Saint Martin’s.
Ostlund played two seasons at Weber State under Denny Huston, long-time assistant coach to former University of Washington head coach Marv Harshman, and was a first team All-Big Sky selection while establishing a NCAA record with 11 consecutive three-point field goals made in 1989.
He inherits a team that returns 11 players from the 2011-12 squad that went 10-16 overall and 6-12 in the GNAC.
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