Northwestern College has announced that men’s basketball head coach Kris Korver ’92 will be passing leadership of the program to Colton Kooima ’18 and Ben Miller ’13. Kooima will serve as the school’s ninth head coach, while Miller will be elevated to associate head coach.
“It is a tremendous honor to announce the transition of leadership within our historic men’s basketball program,” said Vice President for Athletics Tony Hoops. “Coach Korver’s strong mentorship has prepared Colton and Ben to successfully lead Red Raider Basketball into a new era while holding strong to our mission of Honoring Christ Through Excellence in Athletics.”
A press conference to celebrate the history of Northwestern men’s basketball and recognize the program’s new leadership will be held in the Vogel Community Room on Monday, March 31 at 4:00 p.m. The public and local media are encouraged to attend. Monday’s event will also be available to watch on Northwestern’s GPAC Network channel.
KRIS KORVER
After 25 seasons at the helm, Korver accumulated a record of 574-225, closing his time on the Bultman Center sidelines with the 26th-most wins among current and former NAIA coaches, and fourth among active NAIA coaches. Since starting his collegiate coaching career in 2000, Korver won two NAIA Division II national titles (’01, ’03), made 19 trips to the NAIA tournament, finished atop the GPAC standings nine times, and won the GPAC tournament title six times.
“I love Northwestern, and I love Northwestern basketball,” Korver exclaimed. “Serving as Northwestern’s basketball coach has been a God-given calling, and I have been given the opportunity to live this God-given dream for the last 25 years. What a blessing!”
Under Korver’s direction, 48 Raiders received All-American accolades. He coached one NAIA Player of the Year (Brandon Woudstra, ’03), seven GPAC Players of the Year, five GPAC Freshmen of the Year, and two GPAC Defensive Players of the Year.
“Coach Korver’s leadership over the past 25 years is profound,” stated Hoops. “The game of basketball has been his ministry platform and tool for life transformation, impacting thousands of young men. He led a program centered upon Christ which daily guided all components of his teams.”
Korver’s influence grew beyond the basketball court into the campus community. His ministry through basketball helped prepare young men to be faithful husbands and fathers and to develop “healthy and Holy habits.” Korver introduced Northwestern’s Monday Mornings for Men, a weekly gathering of men from Northwestern and beyond who work to better themselves through Biblical relationships and community. Additionally, he mentored students as an instructor in kinesiology for various coaching, leadership, and activity courses.
“I am thankful Northwestern College gave me the opportunity to serve as a disciple of Jesus disguised as a coach,” Korver added. “Hopefully, God was made famous, and many young men were encouraged to become faithful, God-fearing husbands, fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. What a great mission and a great ride!”
His service to the school exceeds his years as a head coach, as the 1992 Northwestern graduate was a four-year member of the basketball program and served in admissions prior to his coaching career. Korver was a guard for the 1991-92 Red Raider team that finished as national runners-up under coach Todd Barry.
COLTON KOOIMA
Colton Kooima has been named the ninth men’s basketball head coach at Northwestern College.
Kooima’s six-year journey as an assistant coach brings him back to Northwestern, preparing him to lead a program that invested in his own athletic career.
“Colton is a contagious leader with a brilliant young basketball mind,” said Hoops. “His passion and experience within our program as a player and assistant coach, combined with the experience he gained at two other institutions make him the perfect candidate to lead this program to future success. Colton understands the Biblical foundation for which Raider basketball stands upon and is ready to carry on its rich tradition.”
He first joined the Red Raider coaching staff in July 2021, coming back to Orange City after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at fellow NAIA member Vanguard University (Calif.) for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Last season, Kooima served as the lead assistant coach at Augustana University (S.D.).
“It is an absolute honor to be the next head men’s basketball coach at Northwestern College,” Kooima stated. “We have an exciting opportunity to build upon the history and tradition of Northwestern basketball. More importantly, we have a calling to serve the young men in our program and honor Christ in our pursuit of excellence.”
A two-time NAIA First Team All-American his junior and senior seasons, Kooima has his named etched in the Northwestern men’s basketball record books. While in a Red Raider uniform, he scored 2,441 points which is third in program history behind Brandon Woudstra and Alex Van Kalsbeek. He is third in program history with 309 career three-pointers and 13th in assists with 368 in his career. During his career, he was a four-time First Team All-Conference performer, also receiving the GPAC Player of the Year award for the 2017-18 season and GPAC Freshman of the Year accolades in 2014-15. Kooima was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
“Coach Korver’s combination of winning and life transformation that Northwestern basketball has produced is unlike any other program in the country,” Kooima added. “I am extremely grateful for everything he has done in my life, and I know God will continue using him in incredible ways.”
BEN MILLER
Ben Miller has been elevated to the role of associate head coach at Northwestern College.
“I’m incredibly grateful for Ben Miller and his continued service to Raider Basketball,” said Hoops. “Ben is a relentless worker and incredibly unselfish. I have the upmost respect for Ben and look forward to seeing him impact our program within his new role.”
Miller has given his expertise to the Red Raider basketball program since 2016. During his tenure, the Raiders have gone 206-80, made the national tournament eight times, won a GPAC regular season title, and captured two GPAC tournament titles. He is a 2021 inductee into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.
“Coach Korver has been a huge part of my life,” Miller added. “I’ve been blessed to be a part of his program as a player and as his assistant. He has impacted my life in every way imaginable. He is a true definition of a servant leader, and I know God has big plans for him.”
Miller’s leadership has been one of the many constants in the men’s basketball program, bringing a high level of leadership and valuable knowledge to the sidelines for the past nine seasons.
A three-time NAIA All-American and 2013 GPAC Player of the Year, Miller scored 1,803 points and grabbed 915 rebounds in 125 games played. In his Player of the Year season his senior year, he averaged 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per contest. Miller led his team to two GPAC regular season titles and won the 2012 GPAC tournament championship.
Korver concluded with a blessing for the new era of Red Raider men’s basketball, saying, “As we pass the baton to Coach Colton Kooima and Coach Ben Miller, we are confident that the exchange of the baton will be smooth, and they will run the next leg of the race using basketball as a tool to build up the next generation of servant leaders on our campus, in their marriages, households, churches, and future territories. We are rooting for them and praying for them.”
