At Rock Valley College, Lavery was active in all aspects of the national level Golden Eagle men’s basketball program with a focus on recruiting, player development, defense, zone offense, out-of-bounds sets, strength and conditioning, and game preparation. In his three years in Rockford, Rock Valley College was 94-12 and appeared in three straight NJCAA DIII National Championship games – winning the title in both 2014 and 2016.
In 2015-16, the Golden Eagles were ranked #1 in NJCAA Division III all year for the second consecutive season. RVC broke the school record in wins (33) from the 2014-15 season, and won the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Loch Sheldrake, New York. The Golden Eagles started off the season 19-0, including knocking off #6 in NJCAA DI Vincennes University (IN) and #7 in NJCAA DI Indian Hills CC (IA).
In 2014-15, the Golden Eagles were ranked #1 in NJCAA Division III from the pre-season national poll until the final poll. Along the way, RVC broke the school record for wins going 31-4 on the season. Rock Valley played in the NJCAA Division III National Championship game in Loch Sheldrake, New York for the second year in a row. Additionally, the Golden Eagles won the N4C Conference and the Region IV/District 2 championship.
In his first season at RVC, Lavery assisted the Golden Eagles to the NJCAA DIII National Championship. In charge of team defense and nearly all scouts and game preparation, RVC was ranked #13 in the country in defensive FG% (40.2) and 14th in the nation in defensive 3PT% (29.7%). In the national tournament semi-final game vs. defending national champion Brookdale CC, NJ (30-1), RVC held the Jersey Blues to a dismal 31.1%. In the National Championship game, Rock Valley College held Caldwell Tech, NC (29-6) to 22-65 from the field for a chilly 33.8%.
Lavery joined RVC following a one-year stint as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at NCAA Division III Rockford University (IL). While at RU, Lavery was instrumental in the development of 2ndTeam All Northern Athletic Conference guard Scott Suchy. In addition, Lavery was in charge of monitoring academics, on-campus visits, and assisted in recruiting.
Lavery played two years at NJCAA Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois where he was a two-year starter and captain. In his sophomore season, he helped lead the Kougars to a sixth place finish at the 2010 NJCAA DII National Tournament. Lavery went on to finish his playing career at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. A native of Dyer, Indiana, Lavery graduated from Lake Central High School in 2007. In his prep career, he was named an all-area selection by both the Northwest Indiana Times and the Post-Tribune.
Lavery holds degrees from Kishwaukee College (AS), Central Methodist University (BS) and Fort Hays State University (MS).
