Back on 3/31, I mentioned South Dakota assistant Casey Kasperbauer’s involvement at D2 Upper Iowa (Daily Dirt). His hiring is now official – here’s the release from UIU:
Upper Iowa has announced Casey Kasperbauer as the 19th Head Men’s Basketball Coach in the program’s 110-year history. He arrives after spending the past seven years with the University of South Dakota men’s basketball program.
“We are thrilled to have Casey join our athletic department,” said Vice President for Athletics Rick Hartzell. “He was the clear choice during the search process, and I’m confident he will excel here by recruiting at a high level and incorporating the up-tempo style of play we are looking for. We are excited to have Casey and his family as a very important part of Peacock Athletics.”
Most recently, Kasperbauer was the Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator) with the Coyote men’s basketball team from 2021-24, where he played a key role in developing an offense that ranked in the top five nationally in scoring, ball control, tempo, and free-throw rate. His recruiting efforts helped secure players across the Midwest, including Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
In 2020, Kasperbauer served as the Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator) for the Coyotes for one season before transitioning to the offensive coordinator. During his first season as the assistant coach in 2020-21, he guided three players to All-Summit League honors, including A.J. Plitzuweit, who was named Newcomer of the Year.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to join the Upper Iowa community and lead the men’s basketball program,” said Kasperbauer. “This is an amazing opportunity, and I am eager to get to work with our players and staff. I look forward to building on the winning culture that exists at Upper Iowa.”
His stint with the Coyote coaching staff began in 2018, when he took the role of Director of Operations, overseeing team travel, budgets, and video edits for scouting purposes.
Kasperbauer also spent a season (2017-18) as a skills coach for Pure Sweat Basketball in Des Moines, Iowa, where he developed training programs for various skill levels.
A 2016 graduate of USD, Kasperbauer was a 1,000-point scorer for the Coyotes and is USD’s all-time leader in free-throw shooting, with a career percentage of 90.8%. He played professionally for BC Rustavi in the Republic of Georgia (2016-17), averaging 13.5 points per game.
He graduated with a bacherlor’s degree in sports management
“I want to thank President Kathy Franken and Athletic Director Rick Hartzell for their leadership and for believing in me and my vision for the program,” added Kasperbauer. “My goal is to create a family-oriented atmosphere focused on competitive joy. Go Peacocks!”
Kasperbauer will be joined in Fayette by his wife, Lindsay, and child.
