The Millikin men’s basketball team has had a rough couple of months.

After finishing the regular season with a record of 3-22, the Big Blue suffered another loss.

The men’s head basketball coach, Matt Nadelhoffer, resigned in February.

Losing a coach can be extremely difficult. The program is forced to start over from scratch, and it all starts with the head coach. The Millikin athletic administration knew that in order to build a winning program, they would have to find the right guy to lead the program to success.

The coaching search began immediately.

And finally, after a long two months, the administration believes they have found the perfect guy for the job.
On Wednesday, March 22nd, Millikin University announced that the new head coach would be former Elmhurst College Head Basketball coach, Mark Scherer.

Millikin’s athletic director, Craig White believes that Scherer will bring a style of coaching to Millikin, that will produce a winning program.

“Millikin is very fortunate to get a coach with Mark’s experience,” said Dr. Craig White. “When we started the search, I wanted someone with experience, knowledge of the CCIW and the ability to recruit the state of Illinois. We had great interest in the position and through the process, it became clear that Coach Scherer was the perfect fit for Millikin University.”

Millikin wants to win, and they believe they can do that, with Scherer at the helm. Scherer has proven to be successful and has proven that he is a winner.

Before Scherer retired in 2013, he served as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Elmhurst College. Scherer and his teams were very successful during his 17 seasons at Elmhurst. Scherer helped lead his team to a conference championship and seven top two CCIW finishes. Under his leadership, his team finished in the top four in the conference 10 times. They also made two trips to the NCAA Tournament including the school’s first trip to the Sweet 16. Scherer was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Midwest Region Division III Coach of the Year. He also holds the Elmhurst record for most career wins as a head coach, with 245.

Scherer’s success should translate to success at Millikin University.
Although it is obvious Scherer knows how to win, he understands that it will take some time. Unlike many other coaches, Scherer is not expecting to win a championship in his first year. He believes that goal is very much obtainable, but not the focus at this point in time. His main goal is to build a foundation based on success.

“My goal is to build a great program, and not just a great team”. Scherer said.
Scherer hopes his coaching will lead Millikin basketball to become a winning program. He doesn’t just want Millikin to be successful one year, and then struggle the next few years. He is expecting Millikin to build a foundation based on success, that will continue for many years to come.

“Each time we have a great team, we are gonna bounce back quicker and quicker. And have another great team sooner,” Scherer said.
In order to be successful, Scherer believes changes need to be made. Something obviously wasn’t working in the past, so Scherer intends to fix it.

He is bringing a new style to Millikin. A style that is focused on strength and defense. He wants other teams in the CCIW to know Millikin is strong and he wants them to fear the Big Blue.

“We are going to extend our defense, and play very tough. And disrupt our opponent’s offense. We are going to create turnovers that lead to an exciting brand of transition basketball,” Scherer said.

He believes that strength is vital to winning.
“I think it’s important both physically and mentally, to be strong. To have that presence when you walk out on the court,” Scherer said.

One thing is certain when it comes to Millikin basketball. Come next year, this team will not be pushed around. They will be a force to be reckoned with.

All the other teams in the CCIW better watch out, because the Big Blue are coming for you.
Scherer understands that the success the Big Blue yearns for, will not come easy. He knows there will be challenges and he invites them. He believes these challenges will help his team grow and become the winning machine they were destined to be.

“I really believe in using challenges to motivate yourself more. We do some of our best work when we face challenges”. Scherer said.

It is obvious that Scherer is the perfect guy for this position. His success will lead the Big Blue to eventual success. And the Big Blue family couldn’t be more thrilled for what lies in store for the team next season.