Casey Bruggeman excited to start as new UJ men's hoops head coach

Mar. 13—JAMESTOWN — A new coach will be walking the sidelines for the University of Jamestown men's basketball team with the hiring of Casey Bruggeman.

Bruggeman's resume includes stops at the University of South Dakota, the University of Mary, the University of Minnesota Duluth and Concordia College (Minn.) as an assistant coach. In what is expected to be Bruggeman's second year in the 2025-26 season, the Jimmies will be joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and will face Concordia College and the University of Mary. Bruggeman's first year will be at the NAIA level as a member of the North Star Athletic Association.

"I think any time that you've been in a league or at a level that a school is transitioning to it's gonna help just because you've been there, you've recruited to it, you've seen it live and you understand the type of player, the type of size that you need to be successful," Bruggeman said. "I have a ton of respect for the Northern Sun conference, it's one of the best in Division II so just knowing that and seeing that firsthand, I'm hoping that experience is gonna help us recruit and develop the right type of player at the University of Jamestown."

The Minnesota native said he wanted to coach the Jimmies because of his familiarity with the area, the competitiveness of the program and the move up to the NCAA Division II level.

This is Bruggeman's first-ever head coach position. He is taking over a team that finished the season 17-12 overall and missed the NAIA tournament for the first time in a non-COVID year since the 2017-18 season.

"I'm really excited, extremely grateful, especially going to a place like Jamestown that really values their athletics, Jimmies athletics are huge," Bruggeman said. "I know Jamestown High School athletics are huge as well. So, you're going to a place that loves their sports and cares about people, that's really exciting for me. I've been in the mix for a couple head coaching jobs and just haven't had my name be called for those and so just to get this job is really exciting. It's fun to be in charge of a program, it's fun to get the opportunity to lead young men and hopefully help them grow."

Bruggeman said the hiring process moved quickly from start to finish. University of Jamestown Athletic Director Austin Hieb said Bruggeman stood out from a large pool of applicants.

"There were a lot of positives — his connection to the region, the different people he's come into contact with, the different people he's been exposed to in the coaching world — and just his overall mindset towards building a program we think is something that will fit the University of Jamestown really well," Hieb said.

Hieb said Bruggeman was a consensus pick among the selection committee. Hieb said he is excited to see what the future holds for the men's basketball program with Bruggeman at the helm.

"I'm pumped," Hieb said. "I'm really really excited to Casey get up (to Jamestown). He's gonna get going right away. I think I'm really excited for what Casey's gonna do for our athletic department and for our men's basketball program. I think he brings a lot of positives to the table."

Bruggeman said he will arrive in Jamestown during the week of March 11 and spend time meeting with players, trying to build a staff, getting his team started on postseason workouts and work on recruiting. Bruggeman said he expects the initial interviews with his players to be all about meeting them and getting to know them as players and what he can do to help them be better players.

When he thinks about how he wants to mold his program, Bruggeman said he wants his team to have quality people on and off the court.

"I think one of the biggest things that our program is gonna hang its hat on is making sure our guys graduate, they go to class, they're responsible members of the University of Jamestown community and the Jamestown community," Bruggeman said. "So just being a class act first and foremost. I think on the court we want to be tough and unselfish, playing together and priding ourselves on being the hardest working team out there and executing at a high level."

Bruggeman said he is going to bring a passion for life and for basketball to the job. He said he wants the entire community involved in helping the program succeed from President Polly Peterson to kids in the local schools.

"Hopefully we can have the type of culture that our fans are very proud of," Bruggeman said.

Bruggeman said he has not started putting together his staff yet but wants coaches who are as dedicated to his beliefs as he is.

"We want to have coaches that are role models to the young men in the program, coaches that are going to be humble, that are going to work hard, that are going to handle themselves with a championship attitude every single day," Bruggeman said. "We know if we can put together a staff that exudes those three characteristics, we will be in a good spot as far as leading the young men in our program and trying to get them to take on those same values."

Bruggeman is taking over for Greg Ulland who finished his tenure as the interim head coach with a 16-9 record. Ulland will still be on campus as he continues his role as vice president of enrollment management. Bruggeman said he would reach out to Ulland if he needed help, something that Ulland said he would be willing to do.

As a result of his previous stops in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, Bruggeman said he will be reaching out and restarting some of the previous relationships he had with high school coaches as he goes about recruiting. He said he looks forward to hitting the road and watching potential recruits and speaking to them and their families.

Over his journey, Bruggeman has worked for and played for many different coaches including Eric Peterson at the University of South Dakota, Joe Kittell at the University of Mary and Rich Glas at Concordia College.

"So taking a little bit from each one of them, have learned a ton from every one of them and the common theme I think between those five coaches is that they're not only great coaches but they're great men as well and have valued relationships first," Bruggeman said. "That's been really important and formative in my process in becoming the coach I am today and hope to continue to be as I step into a head coaching role."