Fairmont State University Director of Athletics Chad Fowler announced today that Tim Koenig has been named the program’s 13th head men’s basketball coach. Koenig, the 2019 Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year, comes to Fairmont State after six years as head men’s basketball coach at Notre Dame College.
Koenig takes over the program after Joe Mazzulla was named an assistant coach with the NBA’s Boston Celtics earlier this week.
“I am thrilled to welcome Tim Koenig to Fairmont State University as our head men’s basketball coach,” said Fowler. “Tim has great energy and his love and passion for the game of basketball is exactly what we were looking for in our next head coach.
“Our men’s basketball program has had tremendous success under Jerrod Calhoun and Joe Mazzulla the past seven seasons and we look forward to that success continuing this season and in the future under Tim Koenig’s leadership,” Fowler added.
Koenig was named the MEC Coach of the Year after leading NDC to a historic season in 2018-19. The Falcons went 20-8 and earned the No. 3 seed in the MEC Men’s Basketball Tournament before earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the league’s tournament championship. Notre Dame topped a pair of NCAA Tournament teams to win the MEC Championship with victories over Fairmont State and West Liberty in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
The 2018-19 season marked the first-ever 20-win regular season in Notre Dame College history, and the Falcons also set a record for MEC wins in a season with 16. Koenig also led the program to its first ever conference tournament championship and first-ever NCAA Tournament bid this past winter.
“I would like to thank President Mirta Martin, Vice President Tim McNeely, Director of Athletics Chad Fowler, members of the board of governors and all supporters of the men’s basketball program for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” said Koenig. “It’s always a tough decision to move your family from where you grew up, but when this job was offered to me, my family and I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
“Coach Joe Retton is the measuring stick for coaches at all levels of college basketball and I look forward to meeting and working with the current roster to keep this program at the elite level that Jerrod Calhoun and Joe Mazzulla raised it to over the past seven seasons,” Koenig added.
Koenig has coached the only All-Americans in Notre Dame College history, which includes Will Vorhees in 2019 and Tyree Gaiter in 2016. In fact, Vorhees earned D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and Mountain East Conference Player of the Year honors following the 2018-19 season. In all, Koenig has coached two All-Americans, 11 All-MEC picks, and five All-Region selections.
Prior to an injury-prone campaign in 2017-18, the Falcons showed great improvement under Koenig’s leadership. After 11 wins in his inaugural season, the Falcons recorded 16 or more wins in years two through four under his direction (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17).
Koenig led NDC to a 20-win season during 2015-16 with a record of 21-11. That season Notre Dame defeated a pair of top-five nationally ranked opponents and advanced to the program’s first-ever Mountain East Conference Championship Game before eventually falling to Concord in the finals.
Koenig began his collegiate coaching career at Notre Dame College as a graduate assistant from 2006 to 2008 before being promoted to Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach and serving in the role from 2009 to 2011. Prior to becoming head coach at NDC, Koenig spent a year away from the program – serving as Director of Marketing and Admissions at St. Peter Chanel High School. He was also an assistant coach at Lake Erie College during 2012.
As a collegiate athlete, Koenig played baseball and basketball at Case Western Reserve University. While at Case, he was captain of the baseball team his junior and senior seasons. He was named second team All-UAA in 2006.
Koenig graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 2006. In 2009, Koenig graduated from the Teacher Education TEEL program at Notre Dame College, which allows him to teach grades 7-12 Biology and Chemistry.
Koenig and his wife Nicole have two children – a son Kyle (5) and daughter Gabriella (1).
Koenig will be formally introduced to the Fairmont State community during a press conference inside Joe Retton Arena. The date and time for the press conference will be announced in the near future.
https://fightingfalcons.com/news/2019/6/28/tim-koenig-named-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
