COACH DOUG NOVAK
ARMY WEST POINT BASKETBALL ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
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MISSISSIPPI STATE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
• 2X NCAA Team of the Week
•5th in the Nation for fewest amount of turnovers
​​•Notable Wins: Ole Miss, Dayton, SD State, Missouri
•Leading Scorer in the SEC: Annie Hayes ​
• Myah Taylor lead the SEC in assists
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BETHEL BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
​• Record of 112-52 in six seasons at Bethel—the highest winning percentage (.682) of any Bethel basketball coach
• Set a program record of 11 consecutive regular season wins in 2019
• Led the Royals to a share of the programs first ever MIAC regular season championship, second-ever MIAC Playoff championship and second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017
• Identical 21-7 records during both the 2017 and 2018 seasons tied the program record for wins, previously set in 2002
• Six consecutive MIAC Playoff appearances, advancing to the semifinals three times (2014, 2016, 2018) and the championship game three times (2015, 2017, 2018), while hosting the championship game in both 2017 & 2018
• Set a new program record for steals in 2016-2017 with 244, breaking the previous mark of 223 set in 2014-2015
• Four wins over nationally-ranked opponents in 2015-16, including a win over the No. 3-ranked team on their home court
• Kyle Zimmermann named the 2015 MIAC Most Valuable Player, NABC First Team All-American and D3hoops.com Third Team All-American
• 15 MIAC All-Conference selections and four Honorable Mention All-Conference selections
• Freshman named to All-Conference team in first two seasons, no other team in history has had two freshman awarded All-MIAC accolades in consecutive seasons
• One player named to the five-member MIAC All-Freshman team in four of six seasons
• Four MIAC All-Defensive Team selections
• Each season placed a player in the top 10 in the conference in every major offensive statistical category
• Brycen Wojta, Kyle Zimmermann, and Derek Magnuson selected to the USA Division III Team - Brazil Tour in the summers of 2014, 2015, and 2016
DIVISION 1 EXPERIENCE
• Seven years as head assistant coach at NCAA Division I level
• Coached and developed over 20 professional players
• Assisted in leading the Tulane Green Wave to 20 win season and first post-season victory since 1996
• Recruited and helped develop two first team all-conference players the last two years at Tulane
• Helped lead The Citadel to most wins ever in two year span and the school's first post-season tournament
• Assisted in orchestrating the most improved team in the country by increasing number of wins by 14
• Recruited and helped develop three first team all-conference players and coached three mid-major All-Americans at The Citadel
HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Led Anderson (S.C.) University to their first winning season in NCAA Division II
• Won Anderson's first Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) Championship in program history
• Spent three seasons as the Athletic Director and head basketball coach at Iowa Western Community College
TENNIS
• Played on the No. 1 nationally ranked collegiate tennis team at the University of Tennessee
• Served as an assistant tennis coach at Clemson University
PERSONAL LIFE
• Doug and his wife Tonya reside in Eagan, with their daughters Mackenzie, Sarah and Grace
• Originally from Brandon, South Dakota
• Wife Tonya was All-Big Ten tennis player at the University of Minnesota
Coach Novak's Resume
Army West Point, Associate Head Coach
2022-Present
Mississippi State Head Coach
2021-2022
Mississippi State Associate Head Coach
September 2021-October 2022
Bethel University, Head Coach
2013-2021
Tulane University, Assistant Coach
2010-2013
The Citadel, Assistant Coach
2006-2010
Anderson University, Head Coach
1999-2006
Francis Marion, Assistant
1998-1999
Iowa Western Community College, Head Basketball Coach/Athletic Director
1995-1998
Roane State Community College, Assistant Coach
1992-1995
Clemson University, Assistant Tennis Coach
1990-1992
Playing Experience
Tennis, University of Tennessee
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1987-1990
Education
University of Tennessee, B.A. Psychology
1990
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Clemson University,
M. Ed. Counseling
1992
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Hometown
Brandon,
South Dakota
What others are saying about Coach Novak
Pat Summitt
Former Head Coach - University of Tennessee
“Our staff spent two days at Anderson University watching Doug’s team practice. I always learned so much watching him put concepts together. We were a better team because of the time we spent watching Coach Novak’s practices.”
Lennie Acuff
Head Basketball Coach - Lipscomb University
“Doug is a man of character, integrity, and tremendous wisdom. He will create a culture of excellence within the mens basketball program that will be evident throughout the Bethel Campus, in the classroom and on the floor. The young men who will play for Coach Novak are so fortunate to have one of the best teachers of the game of basketball and life to invest in them during their time at Bethel. I would be honored to have my son play for Doug Novak. I have been blessed to serve as a head coach for 23 years and there is no one in my profession that I have more respect for as a man or coach than Doug.”
Johnny Tauer
Head Coach- St. Thomas (MN)
“Doug’s teams run great offense with myriad actions on every possession.. His teams take on his personality: energetic, passionate, humble, and hard working. I have learned a lot both from coaching against and in my conversations with Doug and I highly encourage young coaches to follow his work and teams.”
Tim Floyd
Head Coach - UTEP, Former Head Coach - Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets
“I feel Bethel University made a tremendous hire in Doug Novak. People are drawn to Doug and players enjoy playing for him. The system Coach Novak utilized at Tulane not only gave players freedom, but they were our most difficult team to scout in conference play.”
Ed Conroy
Head Coach- The Citadel
“I have had the privilege of working with Doug at 3 schools and he is a tremendous person and coach who possesses an unmatched passion for basketball. He is a talented teacher of the game with a terrific understanding of coaching and communicating to all levels of players. Innovative, creative, driven ... that’s Doug Novak!”
Niko Medved
Head Coach- Colorado State University
“Doug Novak is one of the most creative and innovative offensive minds that I know. He is a terrific teacher and finds ways to make complex things simple for his players. Coaches at all levels could learn a lot from Doug.”
Bobby Cremins
Former Head Coach - Georgia Tech and College of Charleston
“I have seen what Doug Novak can do with my own eyes. When I was coaching at College of Charleston – The Citadel’s rival – he and Coach Ed Conroy had his players ready in all aspects of the game: offensively, defensively, transition, in-bounds plays and throughout it all, his players kept their cool and knew what to do in every situation. They were always well-coached, gave us fits all of the time and beat us more times than I care to recall. Off the court, I found Doug to be a gentleman in every sense of the word. There is no doubt that he will do a fine job at Bethel, as he has done at Tulane, The Citadel, and Anderson. He is a winner.”
Jimmy Tillette
Former Head Coach- Samford University
“Doug Novak is one of the brightest coaches in the country. He is nationally known as highly cerebral and a great thinker of the game. Remarkably, his integrity matches his intellect. Bethel has hit a home run in hiring him.”
Podcasts featuring Coach Novak
