After leading the Raiders as Head Coach of the men’s basketball team for 25 years, Kris Korver will be changing roles. During his time as coach at Northwestern, Korver enjoyed a 574-225 record, two national championships, and six Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) titles. Colton Kooima will take charge of the team as the next head coach and Ben Miller will accompany him as assistant head coach. The decision came after much prayer and a desire to take the next step in leadership development within the program. Both Kooima and Miller played for the Raiders during their time at NW.
Coach Korver has more fond memories at NW than he can count but touched on what he will take away the most.
“It is this special journey we call ‘NW’,” Korver said. “Spending four years as a student at NW, establishing and developing forever friends, meeting my wife at NW, spending two years as an admissions counselor at NW, having three children attend NW, and serving 25 years as the basketball coach.”
Conner Geddes, senior guard for NW basketball, has had his own takeaways from his time with Coach Korver.
“Coach Korver had a fantastic impact on me in my four years,” Geddes said. “He challenged me and pushed me to be a better leader on and off the court. He always encouraged me to lead in my own way and trusted me as someone our younger teammates could look up to.”
Coach Korver’s influence was not confined to Raider athletics but expanded to the campus community. He started a weekly meeting called Mondays for Men that meets in the Bultman Center Dance Room. The group would discuss building healthy and holy habits that would help them grow personally and spiritually as they navigate their life.
While the success of the program has certainly produced many great memories for Korver, the victories on the court are not what matters most. He is most thankful for the relationships he has formed and how he has seen God work in his time as coach.
“Being given the opportunity to partner with the Holy Spirit in Jesus’s life transformation business as the Northwestern Basketball Coach has been a wonderful adventure and a huge blessing!” Korver said.
Coach Korver has led the Raiders for 25 years.
