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Greg Stemen

Greg Stemen

     The winningest coach in program history, Greg Stemen is now in his eighth season as the head men’s basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University in 2008-09.
     Named the 10th head coach in school history on Apr. 10, 2001, Stemen became the all-time wins leader at SMSU with a victory over Bemidji State University on Feb. 28, 2007. 
     He begins the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 113-90, including 68-48 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games.  SMSU has been a NCAA regional contender during his tenure, including just missing the regional tournament the past two seasons.
     During his seven seasons on the Mustang sideline, SMSU has recorded five winning seasons, two 20-plus win seasons, two second place finishes in the conference and has made two appearances in the NSIC tournament championship game.  SMSU has finished in the top half of the conference standings five times and has hosted a first round NSIC tournament game five different years.  During the 2005-06 season another milestone was set as he helped lead the Mustangs to a 38-point road victory over South Dakota State University, giving the program its first ever win over an NCAA Division I team.
     Last season SMSU recorded its third straight winning season finishing third in the conference and advancing to the NSIC tournament semifinals.  SMSU appeared in the NCAA regional rankings for six straight weeks but just missed making its second ever NCAA tournament appearance.  SMSU finished the season 17-12 with one of the victories coming against nationally ranked St. Cloud State while six of the 11 losses came against the top three seeded teams in the NCAA regional tournament. 
     In 2006-07, Stemen guided the squad to one of the best season’s in school history as the Mustangs finished 20-10 overall, finished second in the NSIC and advanced to the NSIC tournament championship game.  The 20-win season was just the third in school history, two of which that have come under Stemen’s tutelage.  Despite the 20-win season and a second place finish in both the conference standings and NSIC tournament to national runner-up Winona State, SMSU wasn’t selected to the eight-team NCAA regional tournament.
     During Stemen’s time on the sidelines, SMSU has been known for strong defensive play and sharp outside shooting.  The 2006-07 team set a school record for fewest points allowed (61.4) and finished ranking seventh in the country in the final NCAA statistics.  SMSU also shot 39.2 percent from 3-point range ranking 26th in the country while the team’s 8.3 3-point field goals per game ranked 38th in the nation.
     Taking over the program prior to the 2001-02 season, Stemen had a record first season at the helm of the program setting an SMSU record for wins by a first-year coach in leading the team to a 21-8 mark.   SMSU’s 21 wins were just their second 20-plus win season in school history while the squad also advanced to the NSIC tournament championship game before losing on a last-second shot in the title game.
     In his second season on the Mustang sideline in 2002-03, Stemen guided the Mustangs to a second place finish in the NSIC, marking just the eighth time in school history an SMSU team had finished second or better in league play. 
     After two seasons in which SMSU finished with a sub-.500 record, the Mustang program bounced back in 2005-06 finishing 15-14 and recording just the 13th winning season in school history.  Of the 14 losses, eight were to teams that were either NCAA Division I or that advanced to the 2006 NCAA II regional tournament semifinals.
      No stranger to success, Stemen has been a part of winning basketball his entire coaching career.  Now in his 18th season of coaching at the collegiate ranks, Stemen has been a part of 13 winning seasons, six region championship teams and seven 20-plus win seasons.
    Prior to being named head coach, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State, helping lead the Mustangs to a 46-17 record, including an NSIC championship and North Central Region championship in 2001.
     A native of LaMoure, N.D., Stemen came to Southwest after spending four seasons as head coach at North Dakota State College of Science (1993-97), a two-year school located in Wahpeton, N.D.
     As a head coach at NDSCS, he led the Wildcats to a 69-40 record which included two NJCAA Division I Region 13 championships and twice was named Region 13 Coach of the Year.  He coached three JUCO All-Americas and had five players sign NCAA Division I scholarship offers.
     A 1988 graduate of Valley City State University (N.D.), Stemen began his coaching career in 1990 as head football coach at Wahpeton High School in Wahpeton, N.D.  During his stay in Wahpeton, he was also an assistant coach at North Dakota State College of Science, where he helped lead the Wildcats to a three-year record of 72-15 from 1989-92.After spending one season as an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha, Stemen moved back to NDSCS in 1993 when he took over as head coach of the Wildcats.  Following his coaching at NDSCS, he spent two years out of the coaching profession (1997-99) while working in private business before returning to the coaching ranks in 1999.
     Stemen’s success has not only been on the basketball floor.  He was head coach of the SMSU women’s golf team from 2000-04 and led the Mustangs to four straight NSIC titles and three NCAA regional appearances.  For his efforts, he twice was named NSIC Coach of the Year and in the spring of 2002 he was named the Minnesota State Division II/III Coach of the Year. 
      Stemen lives in Marshall and has a five-year old daughter, Taylor.