Fort Lewis College Athletics

MBB Pietrack 2024 Red Auerbach COY Graphic - Apr. 6, 2024

Pietrack honored at men’s Final Four as 2024 Red Auerbach Coach of the Year

4/6/2024 1:49:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Fort Lewis College Head Coach Bob Pietrack was named the 2024 Red Auerbach Coach of the Year by the Jewish Coaches Association after guiding the Skyhawks to its second consecutive 29-4 overall record, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, and back-to-back appearances in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Red Auerbach Award recognizes the most outstanding Jewish-American basketball coach of the year across all levels of collegiate basketball.

"I am extremely honored to be selected as the 2024 Red Auerbach National Coach of the Year," Pietrack shared. "I am incredibly grateful to Coach Ty, Coach Evans and Coach Stapleton for all their countless hours of hard work preparing our team throughout the year. Coaching is really a team sport, and even though the team's success leads to my individual recognition, I know we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we did without our complete team effort. Our team this year was special and coaching this group of players has been the joy of my life. I'm very thankful for everybody that was invovled and their commitment to Fort Lewis basketball."

After graduating all five starters from the program's 2022-23 RMAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship team that set a program record for wins with 29, Pietrack embraced the upcoming challenge and brought in a variety of high-profile transfers that kept the Skyhawks in contention to repeat in 2023-24.

And repeat they did. Although finishing second in the regular season standings, the Skyhawks went on the road and downed the 21^st and 5^th-ranked programs in the country en route to repeating as RMAC Tournament Champions for the first time while simultaneously booking a ticket back to the NCAA Tournament. Tabbed as the No. 2 seed in the South-Central region for a second straight year, Fort Lewis found themselves defeating Lubbock Christian 86-72 in the opening round before falling to No. 6-ranked Colorado Mesa 85-80 in the round of 32 and third meeting of the season between the western slope rivals.

Fort Lewis marched on to match its program record 29-4 overall mark while setting a new record for conference wins at 20-2 while also climbing to a program-record No. 2 ranking on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll. Powered by a home crowd that finished the season first in percent capacity (73.13 percent), third in overall attendance (32,178), and fourth in average attendance (2,011) across the DII landscape, Pietrack's squad earned the program's sixth unbeaten home record while matching the most wins in Whalen Gymnasium through a single season at 16-0 (1977-78).

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