THE DON MEYER AWARD

March 31, 2025

 

DORDT’S BRIAN VAN HAAFTEN RECIPIENT OF 2025 DON MEYER AWARD
Presented annually to the top head coach in NAIA college basketball.

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Dordt’s Brian Van Haaften is the recipient of 2025 Don Meyer National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in NAIA college basketball.

Van Haaften led Dordt University to a 28-4 record, a No. 6 ranking and 2nd round appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship. The 28 wins is tied for the second most all-time in program history.

“When all these things come together, special things happen,” said Joe Dwyer, President of CollegeInsider.com. “It was a special season for Brian Van Haaften who has had a lot of special seasons in his illustrious career. Everybody want to win, but mentoring young men to win in life is more important to Coach Van Haaften.”

Van Haaften was named Great Plains Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Defenders to the regular season GPAC title and an 18-2 overall mark and the program's fourth straight NAIA National Championship berth. He entered the postseason with a 27-3 record, the best winning percentage for a single season and is his fourth 20-plus win season at Dordt.

The seven seniors on this year's roster; Tyson Boer, Bryce Coppock, Ben Fairclough, Ben Loverude, Tyler Prins, Luke Rankin and Xavier Van Beek posted a 93-33 record and qualified for the NAIA Championship all four years

Van Haaften’s record in seven seasons at Dordt is 152-63 and his .678 winning percentage is the best on record at Dordt. His overall collegiate coaching record is 566-241.

The Don Meyer Award is named in honor of the sport's winningest coaches.
In 38 seasons at Hamline, Lipscomb and Northern State, Don Meyer compiled an astounding 923-324 record. He led Lipscomb to the NAIA national championship in 1986 and coached the two highest-scoring players in the history of college basketball, John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson.

His 1989-90 team at Lipscomb won a record 41 games and was the highest scoring team in college basketball history.

In 2010, he received the John Bunn Award at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Meyer retired from coaching in February 2010. Coach Meyer lost his long battle with cancer on May 18, 2014, at the age of 69.

The Don Meyer Award, which is presented annually to the top NAIA basketball coach, is named in honor of the one of the sport's winningest coaches.
 
In 38 seasons at Hamline, Lipscomb and Northern State, he compiled an astounding 923-324 record. He led Lipscomb to the NAIA national championship in 1986, and coached the two highest-scoring players in the history of college basketball, John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson. Also, his 1989-90 team at Lipscomb won a record 41 games and was the highest scoring team in college history. 
 
In 2010, he received the John Bunn Award at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
Meyer retired from coaching in February 2010. Coach Meyer lost his long battle with cancer on May 18, 2014, at the age of 69.
 
The Don Meyer award voting panel is made up of current division I coaches, athletic administrators, and senior College Insider staff members.  The recipient of the 2024-25 award will be announced in April, in San Antonio, TX site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.

The Don Meyer award is presented annually to the top NAIA head coach, as voted on by the award committee. 
 
The 10-member voting committee consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
 
The award is presented annually at the site of the men's Division I NCAA basketball championship. 

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