Charlotte, NC - Des Moines Area (IA) head coach Brett Putz has been named the 2021 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, presented by the Marines.

The 2020-21 season was Putz's first at the helm for Des Moines Area, earning many accolades during his inaugural season. Under Putz's leadership, the Bears finished the season with a 21-5 record, an ICCAC regular-season championship, and an NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship national title. 

Putz helped guide the Bears to its second straight ICCAC regular-season championship while earning the ICCAC Coach of the Year honor.  Putz and the Bears entered the national tournament in Danville, IL as the No. 2 overall seed. The Bears competed through a slew of tough opponents at the national tournament, including ICCAC rival Iowa Lakes, on its way to battle it out with No. 1 seed Davidson-Davie for the NJCAA DII Championship.

The national title win marked the first in program history for Des Moines Area.  Putz brought home tournament Coach of the Year honors and coached four Bears student-athletes to earn national tournament honors. Sophomore Christian Haffner was named to the All-Tournament team and earned the Fred Pohlman Sportsmanship Award.  Sophomores Zach Hobbs and Ryan Schmitt were also named to the All-Tournament team while sophomore guard Willie Guy was named the Pin Ryan Most Valuable Player of the 2021 NJCAA DII Men's Basketball Championship. 

Des Moines Athletic Director BJ McGinn on Putz

• "Brett has been a great addition to our athletic department and to our DMACC community.  I can't say enough about the job that he did this past year with all of the Covid-19 adjustments, in addition to getting the job late and this being his first year as a head coach.  His leadership of the staff and players, and his development of his team's culture was truly amazing.  I am very proud of the job that Brett has done and the positive way in which his players have carried themselves throughout the year."