Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Bryan Hodgson announced Monday that Derek Rongstad will join the Red Wolves’ staff as an assistant coach. Rongstad spent the past four seasons at Alabama, including the last two as Coordinator of Video Services.
“Derek is an up-and-coming star in this business and we are extremely fortunate to have him join our staff,” said Hodgson. “His knowledge of the game, especially on the defensive side of the ball, combined with his background in analytics will be a huge asset to our program. Derek is also one of the most thorough and detailed talent evaluators I know, which will greatly help us in recruiting. Derek was directly involved in helping Coach (Nate) Oats and staff turn around Alabama basketball and win four championships in four years, and that experience will benefit our staff greatly.”
Elevated to Coordinator of Video Services on the Alabama staff prior to the 2021-22 season, Rongstad has overseen all video aspects for the program. He was vital in game preparation by helping the coaching staff implement opponent player and team scouting materials. He also cut and distributed practice and game footage to help the student-athlete’s performance, among other duties.
“I’m extremely grateful to be joining Coach Hodgson’s staff,” Rongstad said. “I can’t wait to work with our players and staff this summer and become a part of the Red Wolf community.”
Prior to his video services role, Rongstad was a graduate manager for the Crimson Tide from 2019-21. His duties included assisting the coaching staff with opposing teams’ offensive scouts and defensive postgame clean-ups, while also assisting with recruiting videos and individual workouts, among other duties. In his four seasons with the Crimson Tide, Alabama posted a 92-42 record, advancing to the Sweet 16 twice in three-straight appearances at the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide claimed its first regular season conference title since 2002, first conference tournament title since 1991 and first Sweet 16 appearance since 2004.
Rongstad entered coaching after playing collegiately for four years. Out of high school, Rongstad signed with Wisconsin-Milwaukee and played two seasons before finishing his career at Wisconsin-Whitewater where he was voted team captain as a junior and senior.
A native of Middleton, Wis., Rongstad graduated with a degree in economics in 2018 and earned his masters in business administration from Whitewater in 2020. He went on to earn a masters in sport hospitality from the University of Alabama in May of 2021. He and the former Megan Mueller married in May of 2022.
