Greg Heiar Explained

Greg Heiar
Current Title:Head Coach
Current Team:Trinity Valley Community College
Birth Date:14 September 1975
Birth Place:Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Player Years1:1996–1998
Player Team1:Kirkwood CC
Player Years2:1998–2000
Player Team2:Mount St. Clare
Coach Years1:2000–2001
Coach Team1:Mount St. Clare (assistant)
Coach Years2:2001–2003
Coach Team2:Loras College (assistant)
Coach Years3:2003–2004
Coach Team3:Chipola JC (assistant)
Coach Years4:2004–2009
Coach Team4:Chipola JC
Coach Years5:2009–2011
Coach Team5:Southern Miss (assistant)
Coach Years6:2011–2017
Coach Team6:Wichita State (assistant)
Coach Years7:2017–2020
Coach Team7:LSU (assistant)
Coach Years8:2020–2021
Coach Team8:ETSU (assistant)
Coach Years9:2021–2022
Coach Team9:NW Florida State
Coach Years10:2022–2023
Coach Team10:New Mexico State
Coach Years11:2023–2024
Coach Team11:Mineral Area College
Coach Years12:2024–2025
Coach Team12:Trinity Valley Community College
Championships:5x Panhandle Conference Champions (2005–2009)
5x Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year
NJCAA Division National Champion (2022)

Greg Heiar (born August 14, 1975) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Trinity Valley Community College men’s basketball team.

Playing career

Heiar played college basketball for two seasons at Kirkwood Community College under Chris Jans, whom he succeeded as head coach at New Mexico State 25 years later.[1] Heiar completed his playing career at Mount St. Clare, where he was a two-year captain, all-conference selection and team MVP.[2]

Coaching career

After graduation, Heiar assisted his alma mater for one season before joining the coaching staff at Loras College. He reunited with Jans at NJCAA institution Chipola College as an assistant coach for a season, before being elevated to the head coaching position. He coached at Chipola from 2004 to 2009, compiling a 164–15 record.[3] After earning numerous coach of the year honors and a third-place finish in the 2009 NJCAA Tournament, Heiar joined Larry Eustachy's staff at Southern Miss.[4] In 2011, he joined the coaching staff of Gregg Marshall at Wichita State. At WSU, he was a part of seven NCAA tournament squads, including the Shockers' 2013 Final Four appearance.[2] After Wichita, Heiar served as an assistant coach to Will Wade at LSU 2017-2020.[5] Heiar departed from LSU and served a one-year assistant coaching stint at East Tennessee State under coach Jason Shay. In 2021, Heiar returned to the junior college ranks, taking over at Northwest Florida State College, where his team won the NJCAA Division national tournament with a 31–5 record.[6] [7]

On March 27, 2022, Heiar was named the 27th head coach in New Mexico State men's basketball history, succeeding Jans, who had accepted the head coaching position at Mississippi State.[8] [9]

On November 19, 2022, Coach Heiar and his coaching staff were involved in the police response when one of his athletes, Mike Peake, was attacked in a premeditated plan by four University of New Mexico (UNM) students, resulting in the death of one of the UNM freshman students.[10] The featured rivalry basketball game was canceled and the team returned to Las Cruces.

On February 10, 2023, Heiar and his staff were placed on administrative leave and the men’s basketball program was suspended until further notice after New Mexico State University announced an internal investigation for unspecified violations.[11] It was later revealed that one of Heiar's players claimed to have been hazed by his teammates. As a result of the investigation, the men’s basketball program was suspended for the remainder of the season.[12] On February 14, 2023, Heiar was fired as head coach.[13]

On April 9, 2024, Mineral Area College announce Heiar would leave the institution for Trinity Valley Community College.[14]

Head coaching record

NJCAA

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Greg Heiar - Head Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches. New Mexico State University Athletics.
  2. Web site: Greg Heiar - Men's Basketball Coach. Wichita State Athletics.
  3. Chipola College. chipolaathletics.com.
  4. Web site: Greg Heiar Joins Basketball Staff as Assistant Coach. Southern Miss.
  5. Web site: Greg Heiar. June 1, 2021. LSU.
  6. Web site: Northwest Florida State College. Northwest Florida State College.
  7. Web site: Northwest Florida State second straight 10th seed to win NJCAA Div. I national championship. Billy. Watson. The Hutchinson News.
  8. Web site: Greg Heiar Named 27th Head Coach of NM State Men's Basketball Team. New Mexico State University Athletics.
  9. Web site: New Mexico State hires Greg Heiar to replace Chris Jans. Stephen. Wagner. Las Cruces Sun-News.
  10. Web site: Teammates helped NMSU basketball player after fatal shooting on UNM campus - Albuquerque Journal . 2022-12-06 . www.abqjournal.com.
  11. Web site: 2023-02-11 . New Mexico State men's basketball shuts down program indefinitely; sources cite hazing incidents . 2023-06-22 . KTSM 9 News . en-US.
  12. Web site: New Mexico State men's basketball coach fired after alleged hazing incident on team . 2023-06-22 . ABC News . en.
  13. News: Greg Heiar fired as NMSU Aggies basketball coach amid athlete hazing investigation. Las Cruces Sun-News. Jason. Groves. February 14, 2023. February 14, 2023.
  14. https://athletic.mineralarea.edu/sports/mbkb/2023-24/releases/20240409mvu0aw