Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach Bob Pietrack announced a promotion for assistant coach Daniel Steffensen on Friday. Steffensen will now have the title of associate head coach.
Steffensen has been an assistant for FLC since 2011. Pietrack and Steffensen have led the Skyhawks to new heights in the two years they’ve had control of the team. The Skyhawks set a record last season with 28 wins and earned the team’s highest ranking in school history at fourth in the nation en route to winning the 2016 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship. The team is still riding a school-record 28-game winning streak and has worked its way up to 12th in the nation.
Steffensen has been instrumental in Pietrack being the fastest head coach to reach 50 wins in the history of Division II men’s college basketball.
“Danny is a true ’Hawk, and he deserves as much credit for the recent success this program has had as anyone,” Pietrack said. “He dedicated himself to being a great player here, and his dedication has carried through to coaching. He’s a great role model for our players, and he’s a great recruiter. We’re extremely lucky to have him.”
Steffensen played basketball at Fort Lewis from 2009 to 2011. He was the 2011 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Shootout’s Most Valuable Player in 2011 and helped guide the Skyhawks to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Pietrack and Steffensen have different styles and ideas, making them a perfect pair on the bench.
“Every team needs a guy like Coach Steff,” Fort Lewis senior Joshua Blaylock said. “He tells it like it is. He knows so much about the offense and the defense, and he makes sure we’re doing everything right out there in practice. He’s a great motivator and him and (Coach Pietrack) are doing great things together.”
