Lakers hire new men's basketball coach

NEWS RELEASE

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

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Steve Hettinga is named Laker men’s basketball head coach

SAULT STE. MARIE – After rebuilding men’s basketball programs at two colleges during his coaching career, Steve Hettinga has his sights set on doing the same at Lake Superior State.

Hettinga, a Three Oaks, Mich., native, will become the 13th head coach in LSSU’s 60-year men’s basketball history on July 1, Lake Superior State Director of Athletics Kris Dunbar announced today. Hettinga replaces Mike Fitzner, whose contract was not renewed following the conclusion of his fourth season.

Hettinga, who is currently living in Jacksonville, Ill., will be in Sault Ste. Marie next week to meet with players and attend league meetings. Members of the media are invited to meet Hettinga during at press conference at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, at the Norris Center.

“Steve Hettinga turned two struggling programs into winners, and we think he’s the guy who can do the same at Lake Superior State,” Dunbar said. “LSSU and the Sault Ste. Marie community are hungry to see men’s basketball get back on the winning track, and Steve is thrilled with the opportunity to coach at the Division II level. We think he will be a great fit at LSSU and in the GLIAC.”

“I’m very excited about the opportunity and challenge to move up to the Division II level, and I really feel as if Lake Superior State is a ‘sleeping giant,’” Hettinga said. “I’m inheriting a team with a lot of young talent that I’m looking forward to working with.”

After serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Olivet College, for four seasons, Hettinga became one of the nation’s youngest head coaches when he took over the Comets men’s basketball program in 1997. Olivet finished 5-20 during his first season in 1997-98, but posted back-to-back 15-10 records during the next two years and enjoyed its first winning season since 1982.

Hettinga left Olivet after 11 seasons and served as head coach of the IBL’s Grand Rapids Flight in 2004-05. The Flight were 15-5 during their inaugural season, and Hettinga was named IBL West Coach of the Year.

This season, Hettinga took over as head coach at MacMurray College, a Division III institution with an enrollment of 700 students located in Jacksonville, Ill. A team that finished seventh in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference prior to his arrival finished 14-4 for its best record in two decades and won the SLIAC title during his first season. Hettinga was named SLIAC Coach of the Year in 2006-07.

Although he has a talented recruiting class coming in for 2007-08, Hettinga sought a move due to severe budget cutbacks in MacMurray’s athletics program and wanted to return to Michigan.

“I feel like I’m ready for this opportunity,” Hettinga said. “I’m looking to succeed and bring a high level of intensity to the program. Our teams are going to compete every night, be hard-nosed teams that play together and hopefully be a tough opponent to play against – game in and game out.”

Hettinga hasn’t been out of Michigan for long and is keenly aware of the talent in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Dunbar, who coached women’s basketball in the GLIAC for eight seasons, isn’t expecting a quick fix, but is excited about the possibility of gradually building a winning tradition in men’s basketball at LSSU. The Lakers have had four winning seasons in the past 19 years.

“There are great coaches in the GLIAC from top to bottom, and I’ll be challenged in that way,” Hettinga said. “The reputation in the GLIAC is very strong. Sault Ste. Marie is a unique place, and there are so many positives about the school in general and the people I’ve already met at Lake Superior State. I can’t wait to get there and jump in with both feet, get dirty and get after it. I’m anxious to get started.”

Hettinga also earned an M.A. in teaching from Olivet College in 2003. He is in the process of putting together his coaching staff, which will include current Laker first-year assistant coach Troy Forbes.

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