Fort Lewis College head men’s basketball coach Bob Pietrack announced today that assistant coach Daniel Steffensen has been promoted to associate head coach.
“Daniel has been instrumental in our basketball program’s success,” said Pietrack. “He was a great player here and he is turning out to be an even better coach. He and I have a very close, collaborative relationship. As a result, he is quite deserving of his new title as associate head men’s basketball coach because he has truly earned it. Coach Steffensen brings a great deal of basketball knowledge to the table. He has an extremely bright future in coaching and our program is lucky to have him.”
The 2016-17 season marks Steffensen’s fifth season as an assistant coach after serving as a student assistant coach in 2011-12. In six seasons on the sidelines, Steffensen has helped the Skyhawks program to a 124-46 record (.729) entering this weekend’s games, the 2011 RMAC Tournament Championship Title and the 2016 RMAC Championship and Tournament Championship titles.
“Danny has done a wonderful job of recruiting the high character student-athlete that has made our basketball program so successful the past few years,” said Director of Athletics Gary Hunter. “We are delighted to acknowledge his contributions with this promotion.”
Steffensen and the Skyhawks are currently on an eight game winning streak and a 28 game home winning streak. FLC reached their highest ranking in Division II last season with a No. 4 ranking after recording the best record in program history – 28-4. The Skyhawks are currently ranked No. 12 heading into this weekend’s home games.
A Business Administration major at Fort Lewis, Steffensen played for the Skyhawks during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. In his final year, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Shootout and earned All-RMAC third team and RMAC All-Shootout team honors. He was also a Co-Most Valuable Player for the Skyhawks.
Steffensen started all 32 games for the Skyhawks in 2010-11, averaging 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. The Skyhawks won the RMAC Shootout and advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen, picking up the program’s first two NCAA playoff wins along the way. Steffensen led the RMAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.9 per game, and ranked among RMAC leaders in three-point field goals (sixth, 2.0 per game), assists (ninth, 3.3 per game), defensive rebounds (tenth, 3.9 per game), free throw shooting (12th, .775), rebounding (20th, 5.2 per game), and scoring (27th, 11.2 points per game).
As a junior in 2009-10, he appeared in 28 games, starting 27 times. Steffensen ranked among RMAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth, 1.5), three-point field goals made (tenth, 53), assists (12th, 3.3 per game), three-point field goal percentage (13th, .393), defensive rebounds (21st, 3.4 per game), and steals (30th, 1.1 per game) that season.
He finished his career ranked 14th in school history in three-point field goals (14th, 117).
Prior to coming to Fort Lewis, Steffensen played two seasons at Otero Junior College from 2007-09, earning All-Region IX honors.
