Buena Vista Basketball has been very successful for the last 11 years. We have had a great run, but we are looking for more. We want to be the very best and win a National Title. If we are going to play the game of basketball and work hard, then we want to strive to be the best at what we do.
But it goes much deeper than that. You just don’t win championships. You must have a group of people that is cohesive and enjoys spending time together. Your team has to have an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable. We want versatile players who can do many things. We can’t just have guys who score. We must have guys who are willing to share the basketball, share the limelight, and shoulder the load on the boards and on the defensive end. We are constantly looking for ways for you to improve not only as a basketball player, but also as a student and as a person.
All of these lofty goals and expectations will help you in life when you leave here. All of our players have left the program a better man than when they came, and are now making a difference in the world today. That is what life is all about, and quite frankly that is what we want basketball at Buena Vista to provide for you.
We invite you to join our program and be a part of something special. We enjoy the process of trying to be the best program around, and we want you to be with us.
Brian Van Haaften
Head basketball coach
Men's basketball program highlights
- 9 Iowa Conference Championships
- Highest winning percentage (.762) of any NCAA men's basketball program in the state of Iowa over the past decade
- Iowa Conference Tournament champions in five of the past seven seasons
- Qualifiers for the NCAA National Tournament in six of the past seven seasons and eight of the past 12 seasons
- Former player Adam Jones won the Jostens Trophy, which is presented to the top Division III player in the nation, in 2002
- 4 out of the last nine Iowa Conference MVP’s have played for Buena Vista
- 66 all-conference players, 34 since 1991-92 (most in the IIAC)
- 29 academic all-conference players since 1997-98
- 20 or more wins seven of the last nine seasons
- 32 former players are members of the Buena Vista Athletics Hall of Fame
- Entering 13th season leading Buena Vista
- Named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year six times
- Owns the highest winning percentage of any active coach in NCAA III (255-82, .757)
- Has led the Beavers to the NCAA National Tournament eight times
- Reached the 200-win plateau in just the 251st game of his collegiate career – faster than nearly any coach in NCAA III history
- Set the school record with 23 straight victories in 1999-00
- Honored as West Region Coach of the Year in 2000, 2006, and 2008
- Authored “A Look From Within”, a book describing his background and coaching philosophy
- Earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern College and graduate degree at Drake University
Interested in playing basketball at BVU?
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