WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein University named Todd Adrian its new men’s head basketball coach, Dawn Stewart, director of athletics, released today.
A nine-member selection committee narrowed the field from a pool of over 160 applicants down to four finalists.
Adrian, 41, comes to Otterbein from Edgewood College, Madison, Wis., where he served as men’s head basketball coach since 2006, guiding the Eagles to a 97-65 record over six seasons, including a Northern Athletic Conference (NAC) title and an NCAA Division III tournament bid this past season. Edgewood finished the year at 23-7, third-most wins in school history, and recorded the program’s first-ever win in the NCAA tournament.
“Todd brings a high level of energy and experience to a well-established program,” Stewart said. “He has demonstrated the ability to create a successful environment, based on integrity and the relentless pursuit of excellence on and off the court.”
Adrian replaces legendary coach Dick Reynolds, who retired in March as the all-time wins leader in the Ohio Athletic Conference with 653.
“The athletic tradition at Otterbein, the men’s basketball program, and the strength of the Ohio Athletic Conference are what attracted me to this position at first,” Adrian said. “Once I arrived on campus I knew right away it wasn’t just the incredible facilities and location, but also the wonderful people that make this opportunity a special one for me, my family and our student- athletes.
“I look forward to embracing the standard coach Reynolds and all of our distinguished alumni have set throughout their incredibly successful seasons,” Adrian continued. “Our staff and players will quickly establish a vision for the future and will work tirelessly to uphold the tradition that is Cardinal basketball.”
Adrian brings 13 years of intercollegiate basketball coaching experience to his new position. He served as an associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, Wis., from 2003 to 2006 and Lakeland College, Sheboygan, Wis., from 1999 to 2003.
“We have achieved great success in the past by doing things the right way, outworking our opponents and recruiting great people, great students and great players,” Adrian said. “Otterbein is the type of place we can continue to utilize this model to achieve great success both on and off the court. Our players will be leaders in the classroom, on campus and in the Westerville community that has supported them for so many years.”
A native of Wichita, Kan., Adrian received his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Kansas in 1995 and is in the process of finishing up a master of education degree he started at Lakeland. He was a two-sport athlete in basketball and tennis at Friends University where he began his undergraduate studies in 1989.
Upon graduation from Kansas, Adrian taught biology and coached the boy’s basketball team at Tonganoxie High School, Tonganoxie, Kan., from 1995 to 1999, before moving onto Lakeland College. In addition to his basketball duties at Lakeland, Adrian served as assistant director of admissions (2000-03) and coached the women’s golf team (1999-02).
Adrian and his wife, Jennie, have 4-year-old twins, daughter, Payton, and son, Tyson.
