But the new coach, Keil Ganz, knows exactly who he is following after having worked with Majkrzak on the NMU bench for a total of three seasons.

Ganz’s most recent stint at Northern ended just a year ago after he was on Majkrzak’s staff for two seasons. He had also been an assistant in Majkrzak’s first season of 2019-20.

Ganz, 37, returned to NMU in 2023 for his second stint as an assistant, and at the end of that season, was promoted to associate head coach in 2024-25.

That lasted one season before Ganz sought greener pastures at NCAA Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he served as an assistant under head coach and former TV analyst Doug Gottlieb as they helped engineer a huge turnaround for the Phoenix.

Northern Michigan University assistant coach Keil Ganz, left, and head coach Matt Majkrazak watch the Wildcats during a GLIAC men’s basketball game played against Davenport at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Feb. 1, 2025. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

UWGB went from 4-28 overall and 2-18 in the Horizon League the previous year to 18-15 overall and 12-8 in the league last season, also rising from 11th to fifth in the standings.

“Keil is going to absolutely kill it at Northern Michigan,” Gottlieb said in an NMU Sports Information news release announcing the hire. “From the moment we met, I have been impressed by his knowledge and passion for Northern Michigan basketball.

“Working with me for the past year I have been blown away by how incredible a coach and mentor he is for our young men. Northern Michigan is in incredible hands.”

Just like Ganz, Majkrzak left NMU, for him during the past month, to take on a bigger challenge, going to Division I Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference. That team has only had two winning seasons since 2006.

“We are very excited to welcome Keil Ganz and his family back to Northern Michigan to lead our men’s basketball program,” Wildcats athletic director Rick Comley said in the NMU SI release. “He has a strong understanding of our university, our culture, and what it takes to succeed here.

“Keil is a proven coach and recruiter, and we believe he is the right person to build on the momentum of our program.”

Ganz, who will become the 16th head coach in program history, also had praise for the NMU athletic staff.

“Becoming the head coach at Northern Michigan University is a dream come true,” Ganz said in the NMU release. “I want to thank Dr. (university president Chris) Olsen, Coach Comley, (senior associate AD) Robin Burke and the rest of the search committee for this wonderful opportunity.

“Winning championships at NMU was one of the highlights of my career, and I look forward to continuing the pursuit of championships. Not only getting a chance to be a head coach, but to do so at a place we know and love is so exciting. My family and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the university and community.”

Even without the impressive turnaround at Green Bay, Ganz had to an attractive candidate after working with Majkrzak to make NMU one of the best Division II men’s programs in the Midwest.

Including the time with Ganz on the staff in the middle two seasons, the Wildcats have won four straight GLIAC crowns, alternating years as a regular season and a tournament champion. NMU has had the GLIAC Player of the Year twice in the past three seasons, too.

“Keil was a home run hire for NMU,” Majkrzak said in the NMU SI release. “Keil was a driving force in everything we accomplished the last seven years. I’m extremely confident he will help the program keep taking steps forward to be a power regionally and nationally. I’m so happy for both Keil and NMU.”

Prior to Ganz coming back to Marquette in 2023, he had served as director of basketball operations at Division I University of Southern Indiana during the 2022-23 season. He oversaw team travel, budgeting, scouting preparation and academic support.

At NMU in the 2019-20 season, Northern finished third in the GLIAC North Division and picked up three wins over top-25 opponents.

Some of his other coaching positions include three years as an assistant coach at St. Norbert College in suburban Green Bay from 2016-19. In that time, the Green Knights had a 57-20 record, winning two conference titles and setting an NCAA record with 72 straight league wins.

Coaching in high school, he was head coach at Kewaunee High School from 2014-16, leading a seven-win improvement his first season and guiding his team to a 12-game win streak.

And Ganz was also involved in the AAU circuit, coaching with the Wisconsin Jets, Wisconsin Shooters and Wisconsin Playground Club. He worked as a video scout for Sports Info Solutions in 2021, contributing to advanced analytics projects for NBA teams, agents and player development personnel.

A native of Wisconsin, Ganz earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Wisconsin-Green Bay.

NMU plans to announce an introductory news conference in the next few days.

Story contents based on a

Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the news. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.