Emporia State University Director of Athletics Kent Weiser has announced that Craig Doty, who just coached Graceland University to the NAIA Division I National Championship, will be the newest head coach of the Hornet men’s basketball program. An introductory press conference will be held on Friday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m. in the Sauder Alumni Center on the Emporia State campus.
For the first time in school history, Graceland won the NAIA National Championship last month, winning the title in front of over 6,000 fans at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium. The national title completed a two-year stint in Lamoni for Coach Doty, who won 49 of 71 games for the Yellowjackets in that span. Prior to arriving in southern Iowa, Doty coached four years at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois, leading that school to two national junior college championships, and three straight appearances in the title game.
Before taking over as a head coach, Doty spent time as an assistant with four programs. He began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater Morningside (Iowa) College while also serving as the head coach at Akron-Westfield HS in Akron, Iowa as he finished his degree. He then went to NJCAA D-I Central Wyoming College for the 2010-11 season, serving as the interim head coach for two months after his head coach moved on to a new job. He then went to Riverland (Minn.) for the 2011-12 season before getting the chance to coach at the University of Sioux Falls from April through October of 2012 before getting the chance to become a head coach at Rock Valley just weeks before the start of the season.
A 2010 graduate of Morningside, the Mustangs went 56-37 record, made the Sweet Sixteen of the NAIA DII National Tournament, were ranked as high as #10 in the country, and won a Great Plains Athletic Conference title during Doty’s tenure as a player and assistant coach. He is a graduate of Alcester-Hudson (S.D.) HS. In his senior season, Doty set the school record for single season scoring with an average of 25.5 points per game. His junior season, Doty led his squad to a 17-4 record and a number four ranking in the state of South Dakota.
Emporia State finished the season 9-19 with 13 of their losses coming by five points or less or in overtime, including their last three games by a total of seven points. They graduated three players last year and the returners are led by two-time All-MIAA performer Brandon Hall.
*Portions of this story come from ESUHornets.com*
