Central Christian College of the Bible and Athletic Director Jack Defreitas have announced the hiring of Brett Gunderson as Women’s Basketball Head Coach, effective immediately. Gunderson takes over for Aaron Welch, who stepped down from the position in May to concetrate on his faculty role with the College.
“The first thing you recognize with Brett is that he is very passionate about leading young people and helping them become successful,” Defreitas said. “He cares for them as individuals and has a desire to help them grow in their sport and in their walk with Christ. He brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm, and we are excited to have him join our program.”
Gunderson comes to Central Christian after six years as the Head Girls’s Basketball Coach at Trinity Academy in Wichita, Kan. At Trinity, a private Christian school who is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), he turned around a program that had won just two games the year before he arrived. The Knights won 10 games in Gunderson’s first season and posted a school-record 18-5 mark in 2014-15. Prior to Gunderson’s arrival, Trinity had never won a playoff game, but has since won five and has qualified twice for the state tournament with a pair of sub state titles (2014 and 2015).
In his six seasons at Trinity, Gunderson compiled an overall record of 80-50. He coached five first-team all-league selections, six named to the second-team and 11 honorable mentions. He also coached two second-team all-state selections and nine all-state honorable mention players. Additionally, he served as the 4A Girl’s Basketball representative for the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
On top of his coaching duties at Trinity, he also served for the past three years in two roles at Bethel College in Newton, Kan., as both the Associate Head Coach for Women’s Basketball and as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Athletic Department. Since 2005, he has operated his own business called Athlete Express, where he provides strength training to approximately 150 student-athletes throughout the year.
As someone who places a great deal of importance on relationships, it was the culture at Central Christian that attracted Gunderson.
“I think that the sense of community and support for athletics at Central Christian was a huge piece for me,” he said. “After seeing the campus and meeting with some of the staff, I could just tell that Central Christian was an amazing place to be.”
Gunderson joins a Central Christian women’s basketball program that has undergone a transformation of it’s own. After going the first 17 years without a winning season, the Saints have posted five straight with no fewer than 17 wins during that span. They played for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II title in 2015, and finished 17-11 a year ago after their fifth straight region championship game appearance.
“I think that building on the success that the program has had will be key,” Gunderson said. “There are some great pieces here already, so adding some components such as bringing an intense defense to the court every day, whether in practice or a game, will be our goal. Another goal will be to get back to the national tournament; if we can keep building day-by-day, working harder than the day before, we should put ourselves in the best position possible to get back. Our motto will be God…Team…Defense.”
Gunderson, a native of Hastings, Minn., and his wife, Amy, have one son, Logan, 3.
Photo Courtesy Central Christian Athletics
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