Bradd Schafer enters his ninth season as the head coach for Western’s men’s basketball team in 2022-23.
In 2021-22, the Mountaineers went 5-23 overall and 4-18 in RMAC play. This included a buzzer beater win over CSU Pueblo in overtime at home on Jan. 22, 2022. The largest margin of victory came against Metropolitan State University of Denver on Dec. 11, 2021, when the Mountaineers defeated the Roadrunners 78-64. Sophomore Matthew Ragsdale was named All-RMAC First Team after averaging 21.5 points per game - the highest scoring average for a Mountaineer since Travis Bradley averaged 22.2 points per game. Ragsdale was also voted to the Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) NCAA Division II 2021-22 All-South Central Region Men's Basketball Second Team.
In 2020-21, the Mountaineers went 6-12 overall and 6-11 in RMAC play in a pandemic-shortened season. This included a win over No. 6 Colorado Mesa at home on Jan. 30, 2021, Schafer's second win in his Mountaineer career over a top-10 team. It was the Mavericks' first loss since losing to Western the previous season - snapping a 14-game win streak. Sophomore Matthew Ragsdale was named All-RMAC Second Team after averaging 20.8 points per game. Junior Cole Sienknecht was named All-RMAC Honorable Mention for the second year in a row after averaging 12.8 points per game.
The 2019-20 season saw Schafer lead his team to a furious finish to the campaign with six consecutive wins to move to 11-11 in conference play and 14-14 overall - just one game short of making the RMAC Tournament. The 14 victories equals the most wins for the program since winning 18 games during the 1998-99 season (when Schafer was a player for the Mountaineers). Senior Monroe Porter, sophomore Cole Sienknecht and freshman Matthew Ragsdale were named All-RMAC Honorable Mention. As a team, the Mountaineers finished third in the conference in 3-point percentage (39.4 percent) and second in 3-pointers made (272).
In 2018-19 Brady Subart earned All-RMAC Honorable Mention for the Mountaineers. In 2017-18, three Mountaineers earned All-RMAC Honors as Ben Beauchamp earned First Team All-RMAC while Collin Smith earned Second Team All-RMAC, and Quincy Harding received Honorable Mention All-RMAC designation.
During the 2017-18 season, the Mountaineers had one of their best seasons in recent memory. Western earned a bid to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Mountaineers earned the bid to face Fort Lewis in the quarterfinals. Western's 13 wins was the most by a Western team since the 2011-12 season.
Schafer took the reins of the men’s basketball program for the first time in 2014-15. Schafer was hired as the Mountaineers’ head coach on May 29, 2014, after a nationwide search.
In his six years at Western, Schafer has coached two First Team All-RMAC players, four players to the second team and six athletes to the honorable mention team.
Schafer came to Western after spending the past eight seasons, four of which as the head coach, at Black Hills State University. During those eight years at Black Hills, Schafer had an overall record of 133-105, and a head coaching record of 56-57. Schafer also led the Yellow Jackets during a transitional period as Black Hills State moved from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II and into the RMAC.
During the 2010-11 season, Schafer guided Black Hills State to a 27-6 overall record with a mark of 12-2 in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC). Black Hills State had three DAC All-Conference players and two NAIA All-American selections. The Yellow Jackets won the DAC regular season title as well as the DAC Tournament Championship. Schafer then led the Yellow Jackets to the NAIA National Tournament Sweet Sixteen round and ended the season ranked fifth in the nation.
From 2006-10, Schafer assisted the Black Hills State head coach in all phases of the program, including daily operations, recruiting, practice, individual workouts and summer camps. In 2008-09, Schafer helped guide the Yellow Jackets to a 30-5 record and an appearance at the NAIA National Tournament Final Four.
Prior to Black Hills State, Schafer was an assistant coach at Colorado School of Mines in 2005-06. During his time in Golden, the Orediggers advanced to the final four of the RMAC Shootout for the first time in over a decade. They also ended Metro State’s 47-game home winning streak.
Before entering the college level, Schafer was an assistant coach for four years at Windsor High School in Windsor, Colorado, where he helped guide the team to an 80-20 record, including a trip to the state championship in 2002-03.
Originally from Gilcrest, Colorado, Schafer played his collegiate career at Western from 1996-01 under Bob Hofman, the winningest coach in Mountaineer men’s basketball history. He was a team captain in 2000-01, and led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 3-point field goal percentage that same season. Schafer earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Western in 2001, and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Black Hills State in 2010.
