Saint Mary’s University athletic director Nikki Fennern knew exactly the fit she was looking for in the school’s search for a new head men’s basketball coach.
Jamison Rusthoven, meanwhile, knew exactly what he was looking for in his search for a head men’s basketball coaching position.
Consider the search over — for both of them.
Rusthoven — who has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the UW-Platteville men’s basketball team — was named the Cardinals’ newest head men’s basketball coach, Fennern announced Monday.
“I am extremely excited to be Saint Mary’s head men’s basketball coach,” said Rusthoven, who takes over for Todd Landrum, who stepped down following the 2012-13 season. “I want to thank athletic director Nikki Fennern for this wonderful opportunity. Her vision and commitment to the university and its mission is second to none.
“I would also like to thank Brother William for his generous insight and candor during this process and I truly look forward to living up to both of their expectations here at SMU. The opportunity to work with such great coaches, faculty and staff in such a great community is something my family and I are truly blessed to have.”
“Coach Rusthoven is a great fit for our men’s basketball program, the athletic department, and Saint Mary’s University — he fits our mission and has been instrumental in the building and success of several basketball programs,” said Fennern. “His experiences, coaching philosophy, and education are instrumental as this university continues developing our men’s basketball program — competitively, academically, and within the community.
Rusthoven inherits a team that finished 4-21 last season — but returns a solid nucleus, including two-year starting guard Evan Pederson (Onalaska, Wis.) and MIAC All-First-Year selection Will Swiggum (St. Charles, Minn.).
“The opportunity for success is what intrigues me about Saint Mary’s,” Rusthoven said. “Those of us who have followed the MIAC closely, know that Saint Mary’s has a history of competing hard and having good athletes — that will not change.
“As we move forward, you can be certain we will compete hard every day — both on and off the court,” added Rusthoven. “We will respect the opportunity we have to represent Saint Mary’s and the Winona community in everything we do, and we will be a program that will embrace all of the things it takes to be successful.”
Rusthoven is no stranger to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Prior to his three-year stint at UW-Platteville, he served as an assistant at Hamline for five seasons.
While at Hamline, Rusthoven helped turn the Piper program around. During the 2009-10 season, Rusthoven helped lead Hamline to their first winning season since 1992-93, including their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff appearance since 2006 and then turned around and saw the 2010-11 Pipers finish third in the regular-season conference standings — including a win over the No. 1 team in the nation — St. Thomas — and host their first home playoff game since 1986. While at Hamline, Rusthoven played an integral part of bringing in four top-ranked recruiting classes for the Pipers. Under his tutelage, he saw seven players named to the five-player MIAC All-First-Year Team and 10 players named to the All-MIAC First-Team.
Prior to his time at Hamline, Rusthoven was an assistant at Minneapolis Community and Technical College for the 2004-2006 seasons. During that time, the team posted a two-year record of 56-8 with two conference championships, one regional championship, and a national tournament appearance. Rusthoven also spent two seasons (2001-03) as an assistant at NCAA Division II Concordia-St. Paul University, where he was responsible for Midwest recruiting with an emphasis on the Twin Cities metro area, as well as running the Golden Bear Basketball Camps.
Before returning to the college ranks, Rusthoven was the head boy’s basketball coach at the largest high school in Minneapolis — Minneapolis Southwest — for five seasons (1996-01). During his time as head coach, Southwest saw some of its most successful teams, doubling previous win totals and reaching the regional semifinals on several occasions. Rusthoven is currently fourth on the school’s all-time winning percentage list. He served as the school’s athletic director from 2002-06.
Rusthoven’s early coaching experience includes a conference championship and two second-place finishes at Osseo High School in Minnesota (1993-96), as well as time as a student assistant for Clem Haskins and the 1992-93 NIT-champion University of Minnesota.
“I am very fortunate to have experienced much success during my career — whether it was experiencing team success as a student-athlete at St. Thomas or being an assistant for one of the most storied programs in all of Division III at UW-Platteville, said Rusthoven, who played collegiate football at St. Thomas, earning two varsity letters, a 1990 MIAC championship and a 1990 NCAA Division III final eight appearance. “And each and everyone of those experiences will play a role in helping our program move forward.”
Rusthoven earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, and went on to complete his master’s degree in technology from St. Thomas in 1994. He is nearing completion of his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at Hamline University.
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