Brady Stier finished his second season as an Assistant Coach for the Bethany Men’s Basketball program in 2017-18. Coach Stier has been part of the turnaround of the men’s basketball program at Bethany Lutheran, working both seasons under head coach Matt Fletcher.
Coach Stier was a part of the most successful season in program history in 2017-18. The Vikings finished with an overall record of 20-9, setting a record for most wins in a single season. With that, the Vikings captured the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship with a record of 13-3. The Vikings built on that success by winning the UMAC tournament championship for the first time in school history, advancing to their first ever NCAA Tournament.
In the first ever NCAA Tournament appearance for the Vikings, they defeated the #7 nationally ranked St. John’s University on their home floor. The Vikings shocked the Johnnies with a stunning 102-92 victory for Bethany Lutherans first ever win in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2017-18 season was one for the record books as the Vikings set single season records for most points scored, 3-point field goals made, 3-point field goal percentage, overall field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, total assists, and scoring margin.
The Vikings led the UMAC with 84.4 points per game as well as 17.3 assists per game. Defensively, the Vikings held their UMAC opponents to a league-low 40.9% shooting from the field. Additionally, the Vikings had five players receive conference honors including First Team All-UMAC player Trenton Krueger, Second Team All-UMAC players Brady Rose and Bradley Rose, Honorable Mention All-UMAC player Neil Eichten, and Freshman of the Year Jake Dale.
In his two years at BLC, Stier has contributed to an overall record of 37-18 for a winning percentage of 0.673. The Vikings overall conference record in the UMAC is 25-7.
As a player, he broke his high school’s scoring record for points with 1,633 points at Lyle-Pacelli. Stier was named to the All-State honorable mention team his junior season, followed by conference co-MVP as a senior.
After high school, he went on to play two years under Coach Brian VanHaaften at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa before becoming a student assistant coach in 2013.
Upon graduation, Stier returned to his alma mater, Lyle-Pacelli, to become an assistant coach for football, basketball, and track and field. Along with those duties, he also spent time as the summer strength and conditioning coach.
“I look forward to bringing energy, passion, and enthusiasm to the BLC basketball program that will inspire everyone to give their best effort by playing hard, playing smart, and playing together. I want these young men to not only grow their basketball skills but grow in character for their lives after college.”
