Former Cyclone Bryan Petersen named NJCAA DII Coach of the Year

It has been a pretty good year for former Iowa State basketball player Bryan Petersen.

First, he led his Kirkwood Eagles to the NJCAA Division II national championship. Tuesday, he was named the Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the NJCAA DII Men’s Basketball Committee.

Petersen’s squad went 31-4 with two of their losses coming against DI Iowa Western. They capped their national championship run with an upset win over top-seed Triton (Ill.) in the title game.

The Clinton, Iowa, native walked on at Iowa State in 2007 after being named a first team All-American at Kirkwood. Petersen started 64 straight games at Iowa State and is 18th all-time in 3-pointers with 97. He was a graduate assistant until 2012 before returning to Kirkwood as an assistant.

He took over as head coach one season later in 2013-14 and had the Eagles in the top 10 in 2014-15. 

Jared Stansbury

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Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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