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Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
Coach Lamar is entering his 23rd year at the helm of the Pioneers. The 1976 MidAmerica Nazarene graduate has collected 527 of the school's 731 wins. During his playing career Rocky led the Pioneers to three consecutive winning seasons, earning him Little All-American honors. Rocky still holds the record for best free-throw percentage and career assists averaged per game. Coach Lamar coached at Central City, Iowa for three years, and at Blakesburg, Iowa for five years before returning to his alma mater. Before Coach Lamar began his tenure at MNU, the Pioneers had just six winning seasons, three of them coming while he was playing for the Pioneers. The Pioneers had also never experienced a 20-win season. Now they have won at least 20 games each year for the last 15 years, and 18 out of the last 19. He was averaged 28 wins the last 11 years at MidAmerica. Coach Lamar has coached 20 NAIA All-Americans. He has also been named HAAC Coach-of-the-Year five times (1989-90, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1999-00 and 06-07). He was named NAIA Coach of the Year last year. The Pioneers have won 10 conference championships, and have been to a national tournament 14 times and the last 10 years in a row. . They finished 2nd in the NCCAA National Tournament in 1996-97 & 1997-98. At the 2001 NAIA Division II National Tournament the Pioneers finished 2nd. In 2006 his team made it to the Final Four. Coach Lamar won his first NAIA National Championship in 2007. Coach Lamar says his greatest joy in coaching comes from seeing his team learn how to serve Christ and how to relate their belief in Christ to others around them. Coach Lamar and his wife of 32 years Dr. Jo Lamar, have two children.
Coach Steve Peterson is beginning his 17th year with the Pioneers. Steve has coached on the collegiate level over 20 years, and brings a wealth of knowledge about the game of basketball. He does a great job teaching the big men, and is a terrific role model for the players. Coach Peterson graduated from Southern Nazarene University where he played basketball. During his senior year, the team won the NCCAA National Championship. After college, he went on to play professionally in France, where his team captured the French National Title. Steve is currently serving as an earth science instructor at Pioneer Trail Junior High. Steve and his wife Dr. Cindy Peterson, who is a communications and drama professor at MidAmerica, have three children, and three grandchildren.
Doug begins his 9th year as a Pioneer assistant. He is a former Pioneer player who helped lead the Pioneers to the #1 seed in the 2000 NAIA National Tournament. Coach Lamar will use Doug's leadership and knowledge to help guide the Pioneers. He does a good job getting the second team prepared to run the opposing teams plays. Doug is currently an Auto Appraiser for Claimsolution. Doug and his wife Lori have 2 children and reside in Spring Hill.
Coach Rice is entering his 5th season on the sidelines for the Pioneers after spending the previous five seasons at the high school level. Matt was an assistant to varsity squads that have combined for an 81-25 record. After the 2003-04 season he was chosen as an assistant coach to the Kansas girls' squad in the annual GKCBCA MO-KAN All Star Game. Matt led the Junior Varsity to a Heart of America Conference Tournament Championship in 2005. Matt is a MNU graduate and played for the Pioneers from 1995-98. He and his wife, Heather, reside in Olathe and have two children.
Coach Fleming, Coach Lamar's high school coach and the dad of former Pioneer 1st Team All American Guard Dan Fleming, returns to MNU this season, having worked as a volunteer assistant since the 1999-2000 season. He was inducted into the Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He won 500 games and coached 29 All-Staters in his 33 years at Maquoketa High School and led six teams to state tournament bids including a 2nd place finish in 1983. He was the lead recruiter in Iowa which led to getting former Pioneer standouts Akuien Wour and Adam Hepker, and current players Cal Kiburz, Ben Swinger, and Brandon Sharp.

