Petersen honored as Coach of the Year
Rewarded for his role in Kirkwood's first national championship run since 1998, Bryan Petersen was recognized Tuesday as the Spalding NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Coach of the Year by the NJCAA DII Men's Basketball Committee.
Compiling a 31-4 overall record for the year, Petersen's squad lost just two games to DII opponents as two of its defeats came at the hands of an Iowa Western team that consistently ranked in the DI top 25 throughout the year. The Eagles' exceptional season culminated in an 83-76 upset of top-seeded Triton (Ill.) in the NJCAA DII Men's Basketball Championship Game.
Making the title run more special for Petersen was his deep ties to the program. A former Kirkwood player from 2005-07, Petersen returned to his alma mater as an assistant in 2012-13. One year later, he was promoted to head coach and immediately began to put the program back on the national landscape.
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