Austin native named Mon-Dak Conference Coach of the Year
Mar. 19—WAHPETON, N. D.
— North Dakota State College of Science men's basketball coach and 2015 Austin grad, Gach Gach, was recently named Mon-Dak Athletic Conference Coach of the Year following his first season at the helm of the program. Gach served as interim head coach for a year before being promoted to head coach in March 2025. He coached the Wildcats to a Mon-Dak Conference title and a 26-6 overall (10-2 conference) record during the 2025-26 season.
NDSCS fell just short to Dawson Community College 67-66 in the Region XIII championship game of the NJCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 8. The Wildcats were the No. 1 seed.
NDSCS beat Miles Community College 89-77 in the Region XIII semifinals to advance to the championship game. Gach is an NDSCS men's basketball alumnus himself, graduating in 2017 before transferring to NCAA Division II program West Texas A&M. He returned to NDSCS to take an assistant coaching job with the men's basketball team in 2022.
Gach won two conference titles as an NDSCS player, along with two Region XIII championships and a district championship, and had one NJCAA national tournament appearance. With West Texas A&M, he made the Division II men's basketball Elite Eight and Final Four in back-to-back seasons. There, he also received Lone Star Conference honors.