Marietta College Athletics

The day before Marietta College played in the program’s first NCAA Division III Final Four, head coach Jon VanderWal found himself alone on the court at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
 
“I wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything we had accomplished that season, but also to think about all the people who helped make it happen,” he says. “I didn’t do this alone. I thought about the unbelievably talented and loyal assistant coaches I have worked with over the years. I thought about our amazing fans, who showed up and showed out at the Final Four. I thought about all the people at the College who have supported the program and me. I thought about the sacrifices that my family has made. And, of course, I thought about every player who has come through our program. We would not have made it to this level without them.”
 
Falling short of the ultimate goal was difficult, but no one was discouraged — especially not VanderWal. Instead, he is as determined as ever to bring a national championship back to the greatest Division III basketball fans in the nation.
 
“I am proud of what we achieved and the unbelievable things we have been able to do at Marietta,” VanderWal says. “Now, every player that puts on that Pioneer uniform is going to be challenged by the coaching staff and me to reach the pinnacle and win a national championship. We are all more determined than ever to do this.”
 
If Coach VanderWal says it, everyone who knows him is confident he will achieve it.
 
Why? Well, you could argue that no other coach — on any level — has done a better job in the nation since his arrival. The five years prior to becoming a Pioneer, Marietta College basketball won just 25 percent of its games (32-96). Under VanderWal's direction, the Pioneers have won over 71 percent of their games (313-126).
 
VanderWal and the culture he has built is why All-American Lukas Isaly ’22 chose to be part of Pioneer Basketball Family.
 
“Coming out of high school, everyone thought I would play football in college,” Isaly says. “The reason I played basketball and the reason I came to Marietta was because of Coach V. I wanted to win championships and I knew we would do that. He is not only the best college basketball coach in the country, but he is the most confident. As players, we fed off his confidence and his intensity. When Marietta returns to the Final Four, I will be there cheering them on as they win the national championship.”
 
VanderWal’s teams have participated in the NCAA Tournament nine times in his 16 seasons, and those teams have a record of 14-9 in tournament action. The Pioneers have reached the Final Four (2021-22), Elite Eight (2018-19 and 2014-15) and the Sweet 16 (2016-17 and 2010-11). In the 103 seasons prior to VanderWal’s arrival, Marietta reached the NCAA Tournament one time (1973-74).
 
Since 2011, Marietta has been the standard-bearer in the Ohio Athletic Conference. While amassing a conference record of 182-43, the Pioneers have won or shared the OAC regular season championship eight times.
 
He has also coached 51 All-OAC performers, 16 All-Great Lakes Region players and five All-Americans. Four Marietta players — Trevor Halter (2010-11), Garrett Stephenson (2014-15), A.J. Edwards (2015-16) and Jason Ellis (2020-21 and 2021-22) — were selected OAC Player of the Year during VanderWal’s time at Marietta.
 
Jason Ellis ’22 was part of the Final Four squad, as well as the most-recent Elite Eight team, and he says it was an honor to play for VanderWal.
 
“His determination, and commitment to the game and his team is like no other. He is intense and never sugarcoats anything. He tells you how it is and that's what I love most about him,” Ellis says. “He pushed me to become not only the best player I could be but also the best person I could be, and I can never thank him enough for that. There is nobody like him and I am blessed that I was able to play for him.”
 
VanderWal is the College’s all-time winningest basketball coach with a record of 313-126, which is also the best winning percentage (.713). His success has been noticed by others. In 2015, VanderWal received the Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Award for Division III, the NCAA Division III Region Coach of the Year four times (2022, 2019, 2015 and 2011) and OAC Coach of the Year four times (2022, 2019, 2015 and 2011).

In 2010-11, VanderWal’s coaching style and recruiting prowess were on full display as the Pioneers went 27-4 and won the regular season conference championship — the first since 1974-75 and the first tournament crown in school history. That team also went on to reach the Sweet 16 and ignited the passion you see at every game at Ban Johnson Arena.
 
Kevin Knab, one of VanderWal’s first major recruits, believes his former coach has many more great memories and moments to deliver for Marietta College.
 
“When you play for Coach VanderWal you expect to work hard and compete every day because he wants to win conference championships, but he also has his sights set on winning a national championship,” Knab says. “It’s also important to know that you also get a coach off the court who is supportive of your academic pursuits and cares about you as a person. It was an honor to play for Coach VanderWal.”
 
Reaching the 20-win plateau has become a common theme during the VanderWal era. From 2011-22, the Pioneers are averaging nearly 23 wins a season. If you remove the COVID-shortened season and Marietta is averaging 23.3 wins a season. Even more impressive is that VanderWal’s squads are averaging 5.5 losses a season.
 
How VanderWal has rejuvenated Marietta College’s basketball program is just a small part of what makes him one of the best coaches in all of college basketball. Jon and his coaching staff have built a family at Marietta.
 
“Our players know we are going to work them as hard or harder than any other program in the country because we want to be the best,” VanderWal says. “But they also know we will be their biggest supporters on campus and after they graduate. We care how they are doing in the classroom and what is going on in their life. Playing at Marietta College means joining a new family.”
 
VanderWal, a former Albion (Mich.) College standout and Ohio Wesleyan University assistant, is the 15th coach since the program began in 1901-02. His duties with the Battling Bishops included head junior varsity coach, recruiting coordinator, strength and conditioning coach and academic coordinator. Ohio Wesleyan, who went 18-10 in 2006-07, finished third in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the regular season and advanced to the championship game of the NCAC Tournament.
 
The Cadillac, Mich., native is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He is the director of the Marietta College Pioneer Basketball Camp, and hundreds of boys and girls from second grade to high school juniors flock to the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center to learn the finer points of the game from VanderWal.
 
VanderWal graduated from Albion College in 2001 with a degree in history and a minor in physical education. VanderWal and his wife Tera live in Marietta with their daughter Kendall and son Trey.

VanderWal's Coaching Honors:
Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2022
NCAA Division III Region Coach of the Year: 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022
NCAA Division III Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year: 2015
 

Year	School	Overall Record	OAC Record
2007-08	Marietta	6-19	2-16
2008-09	Marietta	12-14	7-11
2009-10	Marietta	10-16	6-12
2010-11	Marietta	27-4 NCAA Sweet 16	15-3 OAC Champs OAC Tourn. Champs
2011-12	Marietta	17-9	12-6
2012-13	Marietta	20-8 NCAA Tourn.	14-4 OAC Tourn. Champs
2013-14	Marietta	19-7	14-4
2014-15	Marietta	28-4 NCAA Elite 8	16-2 OAC Champs
2015-16	Marietta	25-4 NCAA Tourn.	17-1 OAC Champs
2016-17	Marietta	26-5 NCAA Sweet 16	16-2 OAC Champs OAC Tourn. Champs
2017-18	Marietta	21-7 NCAA Tourn.	14-4 OAC Champs
2018-19	Marietta	23-7 NCAA Elite 8	14-4 OAC Champs
2019-20	Marietta	21-7 NCAA Tourn.	14-4
2020-21	Marietta	12-1	9-1 OAC Champs OAC Tourn. Champs
2021-22	Marietta	29-3 NCAA Final Four	17-0 OAC Champs OAC Tourn. Champs
2022-23	Marietta	17-11	10-8
2023-24	Marietta	17-10	10-8
2024-25	Marietta	11-14	5-13
Career	18 years	341-150 .695	212-103 .673

All-Time Marietta College Men's Basketball Coaching Records