With the recent addition of Nick Thorsen to his ranks, Army West Point Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen has completed his staff for the 2021-22 season. Thorsen will serve the team as an assistant coach, working primarily on offensive efforts.
“I am very excited that we are able to have Nick join our staff after serving as our prep school head basketball coach,” Allen said. “Over the past six years he has done a fantastic job of coaching, developing and mentoring our young guys. His ability to teach our system and his knowledge of the academy makes Nick the perfect fit on our staff. The learning curve that most coaches have coming to West Point does not apply to Nick and he has hit the ground running. He has developed great relationships with our players and everyone in our program is equally as excited for his arrival.”
Thorsen joins the Black Knights after a six-year stint as the head men’s basketball coach for the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS). Under his guidance, the team posted 111-47 mark and picked up six wins over the Naval Academy’s prep school. As head coach, Thorsen’s responsibilities included scheduling, scouting, budget management and day-to-day team operations. He helped develop and prepare future Black Knights, oversaw the team’s strength and conditioning program and monitored his players’ academic progress.
“I’d like to first thank Coach Allen for this amazing opportunity to be a part of this special staff,” Thorsen said. “Ever since I arrived to West Point six years ago, he has always been great to me and my family. I have always felt included in this program and because of that I can hit the ground running with our team. Leaving USMAPS was not an easy decision because of the special people I got to work with every day, but I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to coach my guys again. It is no secret that we get to coach some very special young men and I am lucky that my children get to grow up and be around such outstanding role models. I’d also like to give a quick thank you to my wife, Kate. She has always been supportive of my coaching goals, but more importantly she has always been there for our guys. These guys will always be part of our family.”
Along with his position as head coach, Thorsen also worked as a physical education training instructor at USMAPS. He taught Introduction to Military Movement and helped manage the physical performance for over 250 West Point-bound cadet candidates.
Prior to moving to West Point, Thorsen was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Penn State Behrend. During his time as an assistant the Lions posted a 67-18 record, earning two AMCC regular season titles and two AMCC conference championships. He additionally coached the 3 Rivers AAU Club and was a Hoop Group Instructor during that time.
As a student-athlete, Thorsen starred for the Lions. From 2008-12, he led the team to an NCAA appearance, an ECAC South championship title, a trio of ECAC Tournament appearances and a pair of finishes as conference runner-up. Thorsen was selected to captain the team and saw Penn State Behrend post a 78-35 record over the course of his career, which culminated with his selection as a Herb Lauffer Leadership Scholarship winner.
He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Penn State Behrend and additionally holds a master’s degree in business administration from the same institution.
Thorsen and his wife Kate have a two year old son, Tatum, and a sixth month old daughter, Everly. They currently reside in New Windsor, N.Y.
Thorsen named Assistant Basketball Coach at Army West Point
