Tim Sandquist Named DII Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year

"Charlotte, NC – Kirkwood Community College (IA) Head Coach, Tim Sandquist, was selected as the 2024-25 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Sandquist led the Eagles back to the national tournament for the first time since 2019 and won the fourth national championship in program history.

"Coach Sandquist has built an outstanding culture of unity and commitment to excellence in our program," Kirkwood Athletic Director, Todd Rima, expressed. "We are proud of him and what our basketball program stands for." 

Kirkwood finished the season with a 33-3 overall record, winning the final seven games of the season to advance through the North Central District Championship and National Championship. The tournament run featured a 3OT victory over Macomb, 78-77, in the Quarterfinals. The Eagles defeated Parkland, 55-54, to win the title. Kirkwood was ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll and never fell below that mark for the rest of the season.

Sandquist just finished his sixth season at the helm for Kirkwood and holds a 144-40 record with the Eagles. While at Kirkwood, he has coached six NJCAA All-Americans, one NJCAA Championship Most Valuable Player, two NJCAA All-Tournament team members, 27 players to NJCAA Region XI All-Region Honors, 11 players on the NJCAA Region XI All-Tournament Team, and one NJCAA Region XI Player of the Year.

Before coming to Kirkwood, Sandquist was the Head Coach at Rock Valley College in 2018-19 where he guided the Golden Eagles to a national runner-up finish and took home numerous accolades."