DC Hires Brumett as New Men’s Basketball Head Coach
May 6, 2008 (Defiance Release)
DEFIANCE, OH– Defiance College announced on Tuesday that it had hired Kyle Brumett as its new head coach for the men’s basketball program. Brumett is set to begin his post with the Yellow Jackets on May 19.
“I am absolutely elated that Coach Brumett has accepted the Yellow Jacket position,” Athletic Director Dick Kaiser stated. “I believe his personality and his basic coaching philosophies are a great match for the players that are currently in the DC program.”
Kaiser added, “Coach Brumett comes from a blue collar background and knows what hard work is all about. I know he is going to roll up his sleeves and get after it the minute he walks on the DC campus. There is no doubt in my mind that he will have success at Defiance College. Fortunately for us, I believe that we have caught another rising star that will make a solid impact on the men’s basketball program, the college and the community as a whole.”
Kaiser then went on to say why he felt so strongly about Brumett as DC’s next head coach, “Most importantly, Kyle Brumett fits the criteria we were searching for to serve as the new leader for the Yellow Jacket basketball team. First of all, he has been a successful coach at the collegiate level. That was very important because we wanted someone that was battle ground tested and was successful in leading teams to quality seasons.”
“Secondly, he has significant experience as an assistant coach in outstanding programs under great mentors. That was important because most assistant college coaches serve as the primary recruiters, so it meant he knew how to recruit and how to land impact players.”
“Third, he knows the schools and teams that make up the HCAC. He not only played in the Heartland Conference, but as an assistant, he helped head coaches prepare teams to play HCAC opponents.”
“Fourth, Lakeland College and Defiance College are mirror images of each other as they relate to size, admissions, financial aid and the general atmosphere and philosophy of the intercollegiate program. Coach Brumett understands completely the plusses and minuses of Defiance College because he lives them everyday within the Lakeland position. There basically will not be any major surprises or disappointments.”
“Finally, he is characterized by everyone that knows him as an individual that has the high level of coaching intensity that I believe has to be present to be successful at a D-III institution like Defiance College.”
Brumett, who was selected out of a pool of over 160 candidates, will come to Defiance after leading his Lakeland College squad to a 33-22 record and a 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament championship during his two-year tenure with the Muskies.
“With so many applicants for the position, we had a lot of people to choose from as it related to this job,” Kaiser added. “The five finalists were all quality individuals and any one of them could have performed admirably within the head coaching position. However, it just seemed that Coach Brumett’s name kept rising to the top over and over again as the search process continued. In my mind, Kyle and his family are definitely the right fit for this job at this time.”
Brumett guided Lakeland to a 17-11 record this past season and entered the NAC Tournament as the sixth seed, before logging three-straight road victories over the top three teams in the league to claim the title. The impressive tournament run concluded with a thrilling 82-77 overtime victory over the top-ranked team in the conference.
Along with his time as the Lakeland head coach, Brumett has also worked the sideline as an assistant for DePauw, Southern Indiana and Hanover and has 11 years of collegiate coaching experience.
Prior to accepting his first collegiate head coaching stint at Lakeland, Brumett spent seven years as the top assistant at DePauw University. The Indiana native helped the Tigers to a 121-62 record, three Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and an appearance in the 2001-02 NCAA Division III Tournament’s Elite Eight.
Brumett has also spent time at the University of Southern Indiana during the 1998-99 campaign, where he assisted current Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl. The Eagles posted a 26-6 record and were the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II throughout the majority of the year.
Along with his clear ties to the region, the 1998 Hanover College graduate will bring a strong familiarity of the Heartland Conference with him to the Defiance bench. Brumett served as a student assistant coach when his playing career came to and end under HC’s legendary head coach Mike Beitzel.
Brumett said the familiarity to Defiance and the HCAC played a large role in his decision. “As a Hanover graduate, I have always been aware of the tradition that Defiance has had over the years.” He then added, “The opportunity to take over this team coming off an HCAC championship is very exciting. It is like a dream come true to be able to compete against the fine group of head coaches in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.”
“I would not have left Lakeland without a special opportunity, which is exactly what I feel DC has provided,” Brumett said. “I think both Lakeland and Defiance embrace kids with a background similar to mine, which are young men who are not afraid of putting in the hard work that is needed to succeed.”
Brumett will be taking over a Yellow Jacket team which won the HCAC regular season championship and advanced to its second-straight HCAC title game. Defiance has won 36 games over the past two seasons and will lose only two seniors as it looks toward another strong campaign in 2008-09.
Brumett hopes to build on the winning ways already in place and believes more hard work will get the team where it wants to go. “I really embrace attempting to work harder than my competition. That is a philosophy that I will bring with me and implement with this team.” Brumett added, “I just want to see this group of players continue to be successful.”
Brumett graduated from Hanover with a degree in physical education, before earning a master’s degree in recreation and sports management from Indiana State University in 2004. He and his wife, Steffanie, have a year-old son, Leon Maxwell.
Brumett concluded, “Steffanie, Max and I are looking forward to joining the Defiance community. I am grateful to Dr. Kaiser and Dr. Wood for giving me this opportunity, and I am extremely excited to get started.”