|
Head
Coach Jim Sykes
Phone: 712-274-5371
E-Mail: sykes@morningside.edu
 Jim
Sykes enters his fifth season as the Mustangs' head coach with a 76-34 career record for a .691 winning percentage. He finished one victory shy of becoming the first men's basketball coach in Morningside history to lead the team to three consecutive 20-win seasons when the Mustangs posted a 19-13 record last winter.
He guided the Mustangs to a 28-7 record, the GPAC's Post-Season Tournament Championship, and the Elite Eight of the NAIA Division II National Tournament during the 2005-06 campaign. The 28 victories were the most in Morningside history.
Sykes guided the Mustangs to a 20-11 record in 2004-05 for the college's first 20-win season since 1994-95.
He was named the Mustangs' head coach on March 29, 2004, after he led the Mustangs to a strong second half finish during the 2003-04 season while serving as the team's head coach on an interim basis. Sykes, who was in his third year as the Mustangs' top assistant coach, took over the program on an interim basis after former head coach Jerry Schmutte took a medical leave of absence.
The Mustangs posted
a 9-3 record under Sykes en route to an 18-13 finish and a
14-4 record in the GPAC to share the league's regular season
championship with Northwestern College.
Sykes was named
the 2004 GPAC Coach of the Year for his efforts.
The Mustangs, who
had finished 10-22 during the 2002-03 campaign, were the surprise
team of the GPAC after they had been tabbed for a 12th place
finish in the conference coaches’ pre-season poll.
He came to Morningside
from Waverly, Neb., where he had been a coach at Waverly High
School for 10 years. He was an assistant coach for Waverly's
varsity boy's basketball and football teams and was a junior
high school track coach. Sykes helped lead Waverly to a berth
in Nebraska's 1995 Class B state basketball tournament.
He graduated from
the University of Nebraska in 1989. Sykes previously attended
Hastings College, where he was a member of the Broncos' men's
basketball team for two years.
Sykes was a four-year
starter in both basketball and football during his prep career
at Wilber-Clatonia High School in Nebraska. He was a three-time
all-conference performer in basketball and a two-time all-conference
performer in football. Sykes earned all-state recognition
in both sports as a senior.
Assistant Coach Brad Schmit
Phone: 712-274-5372
E-Mail: schmitb@morningside.edu
 Brad Schmit is in his second season on the Mustangs' coaching staff and in his first year as the team's top assistant coach.
He joined the Mustangs' coaching staff following a highly decorated playing career with the team. Schmit, a 2006 Morningside graduate, is the Mustangs' all-time leading scorer with 1,987 career points as well as the school's all-time leader with 329 career 3-point field goals. He was a two-time NAIA Division II honorable mention All-American, a three-time first-team All-GPAC performer, and a four-year starter.
He was the Mustangs' leading scorer and rebounder during the 2005-06 campaign with averages of 17.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and made 96 3-point field goals to break his own school record.
Schmit set a Morningside single-game record with 10 3-point field goals during a 35-point performance against Dana College as a freshman.
He was a Iowa Newspaper Association and Des Moines Register all-stater during his prep career at Jesup High School.
Assistant Coach Eric Nelson
 Eric Nelson is a student assistant coach for the Mustangs this season following a three-year playing career.
Nelson, a native of Laurel, Neb., is a senior at Morningside who is majoring in elementary education.
He earned a varsity letter last season by playing in 27 of the Mustangs' 32 contests.
Nelson is a 2004 graduate of Laurel-Concord High School.
|
