Settles tries new position on basketball court: head coach

After years of playing basketball at W-MU and the University of Iowa, and after assistant coaching jobs at SCC and Mt. Pleasant, Jess Settles is trying something new: head coach of the men?s team at Iowa Wesleyan College.

?(IWC Athletic Director) Mike Hamption called me on (Thursday) and said, ?We have a tough situation at Wesleyan ? we have 15 great guys without a coach. Will you step in and take over?? And it seemed like the right thing to do,? Settles said.

Though he never attended Wesleyan, Settles has many ties to the school: his grandfather, the late Bub Krieger, was a football player at IWC, now in the school?s Hall of Fame. Settles? grandmother, Lucky Kriger, has been an IWC supporter since the 1940s. His mother, Mary, played basketball at IWC, and his father, Steve, finished his degree there. Settles also had numerous aunts and uncles go through IWC.

?I?m excited to help the team have a memorable year, even in tough circumstances,? Settles said.

A partner in the family agriculture and real estate business, Settles coached as an assitant on the Southestern Community College men?s basketball team last season, when the team took a trip to the Final Four, and is currently an assistant coach for the Mt. Pleasant Community High School girls? basketball team. His wife, Joanna, is the head coach of the Panther team, and he will continue to help when he can.

IWC?s assistant coach, Ryan O?Hern, who also coached under Magnani, will help Settles and the team make the transition between head coaches.

?We?re going with the system they have (in place),? Settles said. ?They?ve been successful, and I don?t want to disrupt that. After Christmas, we might tweak a few things.?

Settles isn?t sure exactly what things those might be, considering he?s only had one practice with the team ? Friday afternoon when he met the players.

But he likes what he?s seen from the Tiger men so far.

?Their attitudes are wonderful, they?re resilient, and they know how to play,? Settles said.

They also have a lot of promise. Ranked 15th in the NAIA and picked by conference coaches to finish second in the MCC, this year?s team has gotten off to a 4-2 start and hopes to see a season finish like last year, when the Tigers made an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament?s Sweet 16.

The team will play its first game under Settles tomorrow night, when its hosts Hannibal-LaGrange at 7 p.m. in Ruble Arena.

IWC will also be hosting a food drive during the game. Admission will be granted with the donation of a food item. The food and half of the proceeds from admission will be donated to the Fellowship Cup.