Dave Holmquist, head coach of men’s basketball at Biola University, has masterfully guided his team of young men to a highly successful season, as well as leading their 20th berth in the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the NAIA rewarded the 36-year Biola head coach for his efforts by making him the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year (2015-16).


The award was presented to Holmquist in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, where the NAIA Basketball Championship Tip-Off event was hosted.


“We at Biola University have long appreciated Dr. Dave Holmquist’s commitment to competitive excellence and dedication to his players — a legacy of leadership in athletics that is nearly unrivaled at the collegiate level,” said Barry H. Corey, president of Biola University. “That he has been recognized by the NAIA as Coach of the Year, capping a season in which he surpassed 900 career wins, truly affirms his place among the all-time greats.”


Holmquist is in the midst of one of the most successful seasons of his career, spanning over five decades. He has taken a team predicted to finish fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference and turned them into conference champions, conference tournament champions, and a No. 1 seed at the NAIA National Tournament.


This particular “Coach of the Year” honor is Holmquist’s second in his college basketball career. He has previously won NAIA Co-Coach of the Year with Howard Lyon, following the tournament run of their 1981-82 team which finished the season as the nation’s runner-up team.


“What a tremendous honor and accomplishment for Dr. Holmquist to receive this prestigious award. It is particularly meaningful to watch him achieve so much in his Hall of Fame coaching career, and do so with humility, joy, and kindness toward others,” said Bethany Miller, director of athletics.


Holmquist, an incredibly humble man to all who know him, would be the first one to turn the attention from this award straight back to the group of 12 young individuals who will play in the national tournament on Wednesday, March 17.


It has been a historic year for the Biola Men’s Basketball program as the team turned from four GSAC wins (2014-15) to an astonishing 14-2 mark. Holmquist’s accomplishment is especially impressive as only five teams from the conference earned invitation to the national tournament field.


As referenced by Miller above, coach Holmquist has also become the eighth coach in men’s college basketball history to reach over 900 career wins. This 900th win occurred back in November, and he currently sits at 920 game wins. Looking ahead, he hopes for five more wins this season, and to add a national championship to his already-crowded trophy shelf.


“He has achieved what we believe all coaches should aspire to,” said Miller. “He’s earned competitive success with the greater purpose of influencing student-athletes to be individuals of Christian virtue who thrive in life after completing their education. He is truly an amazing man that we at Biola deeply admire and respect.”


Holmquist and the Biola Men’s Basketball team begin their 2016 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship at 11:15 a.m. (PT) on Wednesday, March 17. For more information on the tournament, visit athletics.biola.edu.