Dan DeWitt enters his third season as Head Coach of the NCU men's basketball program in 2021-22.
In just two seasons, DeWitt has taken a North Central Men’s Basketball team that finished at the very bottom of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in the year prior to his arrival, and reestablished the Rams as a competitive contender.
The NCU Rams are coming off their most successful season in program history in 2020-21 since becoming a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and UMAC. They finished the UMAC season in sole possession of third place, hosted a playoff game for the first time in program history, and won a playoff game for the first time in program history.
Four core staples of the Rams' basketball philosophy are: Defend, Rebound, Attack, and Share. These four principles were consistently on display as they led the UMAC in key defensive and offensive statistical categories.
The Rams tied as the #1 defensive team in the conference in the ever-important Defensive Field Goal Percentage statistic. On average, they held their opponents to 41.4% overall from the field. Additionally, they ranked #2 in Defensive 3-point Field Goal Percentage at 30.6%. The Rams were also #1 in defensive rebounding, leading the conference in Total Defensive Rebounds (255) and Defensive Rebounds per Game (31.9).
Offensively, the Rams proved that #DowntownU is not just a label, but an up-tempo style of play as they scored 83.1 points per game. From behind the arc, there was nobody better than the Rams this past season as they led the UMAC in 3-point Field Goal Attempts (240), Makes (98), and Percentage (40.8). Additionally, they shared the basketball more than any other team in the league, ranking #1 in Total Assists (130).
DeWitt’s recruiting efforts have paid nice dividends for the Rams as they boasted the UMAC Rookie of the Year in 2020-21 as well as two 2nd Team All-Conference honorees.
Cameron Thomas, a freshman from Aurora, CO, burst onto the conference scene, averaging 14.0 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 50.0% from the field and 45.0% from behind the arc. Thomas led all UMAC first-year players in points, rebounds, blocks, and three-point percentage. For his stellar season, he earned UMAC Rookie of the Year as well as UMAC All-Conference Second Team.
Seth Fuqua, a sophomore from Colorado Springs, CO, also earned UMAC All-Conference Second Team honors for the Rams. Fuqua led the Rams in scoring at 16.1 points per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 43.2% from behind the arc. Fuqua was the primary ball-handler for NCU and ranked #1 in the UMAC in Total Assists (42) and Assists per Game (5.3).
Fuqua and Thomas also headlined a pair of UMAC Player of the Week awards for Rams. Fuqua won the award first on February 8 and was then followed the very next week by Thomas who won the award on February 15. This is the first time in five years that a North Central Men’s Basketball Player was recognized with the UMAC Player of the Week award and the first time ever in program history that the Rams won the award in back-to-back weeks.
The Rams set a single season school record in 2020-21 for 3-Point Field Goal Percentage at 40.8%. They also set a school record and UMAC record on February 13, 2021 when they drained 21 3-Point Field Goals in a single game at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The Rams won that game 94-49 which is the largest margin of victory against a UMAC opponent in program history.
On a regional scale, NCU ranked #1 in 3-point Field Goals Made, #1 in Total Assists, #2 in Total Rebounds, #2 in Total Steals, #3 in Defensive Rebounds per Game, #4 in Total Blocks, and #7 in 3-point Field Goals Made per game in the NCAA West Region. On a national level, they were #4 in Single Game 3-point Field Goals Made (21), #5 in 3-Point Field Goals Made, #10 in Total Rebounds, and #12 in Total Assists.
The NCU Men's Basketball Program is also showing improvement in the classroom. The Rams had five players earn Academic All-Conference honors in 2020-21 compared to just one the year prior. Additionally, they reported a team GPA of 3.05 which is the highest team GPA in the last seven years.
The Rams graduated one senior player in 2020-21, returning almost their entire roster for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
DeWitt has collected a significant array of coaching experiences at various levels, serving as an assistant for two years prior to his arrival at NCU at Bethany Lutheran College, a fellow Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) member institution and the league's regular season and tournament champion in 2017-2018. The Lino Lakes, Minn.-native, who spent his early childhood as a Minneapolis resident, played for basketball coaching legend Don Meyer at Northern State University (NCAA Division II) in Aberdeen, S.D. He was a three-year starter for the Wolves, helping lead his team to three National Tournaments which included two trips to the Sweet 16. During his four seasons as a player, the Wolves accumulated a 98-27 record and went 29-4 his senior year. DeWitt then went on to serve on Tubby Smith's staff at the University of Minnesota as a graduate assistant for two years before moving on to another assistant coaching role at St. Cloud State University.
DeWitt became a head coach at 26, leading NAIA-Mayville State University (N.D.) for five years from 2012-2017. DeWitt's teams went 44-41 in his final three seasons. During his time at the helm of the Comets, DeWitt's teams posted national top 10 rankings for defensive field goal percentage, defensive three-point field goal percentage, total rebounds, rebounding margin, and rebounds per game. In the classroom, his program featured an NAIA-best seven Academic All-Americans in 2016-2017 and two NAIA Scholar-Team Award selections. While DeWitt was at Bethany Lutheran, the Vikings won an NCAA Division III Tournament game, collected six UMAC postseason awards, and boasted the league's Freshman of the Year award-winner in both years. His St. Cloud State team in 2009-2010 went 20-9, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. At Minnesota, the Gophers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game and the NCAA Division I national tournament with DeWitt on staff.
DeWitt triple majored in Mathematics, Finance, and Economics at Northern State, earning summa cum laude honors along the way. DeWitt's master's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis in sport and exercise science, also earned him summa cum laude honors.
Dan lives in Woodbury, Minnesota with his wife Laura and their daughters Brynlee and Esther.
