Josh Buettner

By Journal Sports Staff

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech made a quick and seamless transition in its men’s basketball program following the retirement announcement by Kevin Luke on Thursday.

MTU named current associate head coach and former Husky player Josh Buettner the new coach on Friday.

Buetter, who will be the 12th coach in the program’s history, became head coach immediately.

“Coach Buettner has the playing, coaching and recruiting experience to lead our men’s basketball program,” Tech Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret said. “Over the past 13 years he has demonstrated the core values that we look for in coaches at Michigan Tech with loyalty, passion, integrity, tradition, teamwork and a commitment to academic and athletic success.”

“I’m excited to work to continue the standards and success that Coach Luke has built,” Buettner said. “We have a terrific group of young men, and we will work to have a team that will make the university, alumni and community proud.”

Buettner was appointed associate head coach prior to the start of the 2020-21 season and had served the previous 13 seasons as assistant coach after taking the position in July 2008.

He has been the chief recruiter for the Huskies, responsible for bringing in top talent, which has included five All-Americans and seven All-GLIAC First Team selections.

A Shawano, Wisconsin, native, Buettner began as a star student-athlete at Michigan Tech, playing for the Huskies from 2001-05 as a power forward and center. He is a two-time All-American and earned GLIAC Player of the Year honors his junior and senior seasons. Buettner finished his collegiate career third on Tech’s all-time scoring list with 2,061 points.

“I’m very excited for Coach Buettner,” Luke said Friday. “He will be an excellent head coach.”

Following graduation, Buettner played professionally in Europe for three years in European leagues.

In March, the Huskies tied the deepest postseason run in program history by defeating Southern Indiana in the NCAA Division II Midwest regional tournament.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.