Alexis Williams | Social Media Manager

Current Buena Vista University (BVU) head men’s basketball head coach, Brian Van Haaften, has been recently recognized for having an astonishing 350 wins in his coaching career.

Since 1996, Brian Van Haaften has been the head coach for BVU’s men’s basketball team. Since his start, he has won eight Iowa Intercolliegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) regular season championships, nine National Tournament appearances, and countless Coach of the Year Awards from both the IIAC and the West Region. Most recently, Van Haaften has been recognized for his newest accomplishment of coaching 350 Beaver victories.

With a track record like Van Haaften’s, it is no doubt that people are curious as to what about his specific coaching style leads to his success.

“My coaching style would be to take one day at a time and give it all I have every day. I am pretty calm and collected and don’t get rattled by too much,” Van Haaften said.

Van Haaften also discusses how he expects the same of himself as he does his players.

“If I am asking my players to play consistently, to be a good communicators, to treat all of their teammates as family, and to play with a sense of urgency, then I think I have to have all those traits also,” Van Haaften said.

Van Haaften’s focus on team chemistry and equality has directly impacted his ability to be successful in his many years of coaching.

“I think what makes Van Haaften successful, is his attention to detail and his connection with his players,” junior guard Grady Gallagher said. “I think his consistency of winning speaks to the quality of his preparation, his adaptability, and his ability to bring in talented players.”

“Coach Van Haaften has so much experience in the IIAC and he knows how to win big games when they matter,” junior forward Tyler Kastantin said. “There is no other coach in our league, who is as determined as Van Haaften is, to be as successful as possible and to win for the right reasons.”

Van Haaften’s players are a driving force in his motivation to coach and in his coaching style. He even stated that the players he works with impact his life in a great way and that these young men are the reason he enjoys what he does every day.

“I don’t know everything about every one of my players, but I would like to think that they know I love them, and that I would run through a wall for them. I appreciate their commitment level so much and that they have sold their soul for the program and for BVU,” Van Haaften said.

With deep roots in the Storm Lake community, Van Haaften feels blessed to have worked with the Beavers for the past 18 years here at Buena Vista University and knows that being a coach is what he was meant to do.

Photo by Stephanie Steiner