Of course, tasting the success that each team had last winter might also have something to do with it after both the women’s and men’s Wildcat teams qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament.

Each of these NMU teams has elevated one of its assistant coaches to the position of associate head coach.

Early Thursday, NMU Sports Information and Northern men’s head coach Matt Majkrzak announced that Keil Ganz was elevated to the associate head coach’s position.

Then later in the morning, NMU SI and Wildcats women’s head coach Casey Thousand reported that Jordan Sweeney made the same advancement to associate head coach.

Northern Michigan University men’s basketball coach Kiel Ganz, center, makes a point in a player huddle while head coach Matt Majkrzak is at lower left, partially obscured. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Here are details on each of promotion:

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Ganz rises in men’s ranks

Ganz was named Majkrzak’s first assistant coach when the head coach came to NMU in 2019. Ganz then left for other opportunities before returning to Northern for last season.

In the past season, the Wildcats finished with an impressive 22-11 record that included matching the longest winning streak in program history, 13 in a row. NMU won the GLIAC regular season championship, its first since 1992-93, then hosted the GLIAC Tournament.

Though the Wildcats didn’t win the conference tournament, their overall season earned them an at-large berth in the NCAA tourney before losing in the opener to GLIAC rival Ferris State.

“Keil has been instrumental in returning Northern Michigan men’s basketball to the top of the GLIAC conference,” Majkrzak said in the NMU SI release announcing Kiel’s promotion. “It’s a special situation where he was a vital part of Year 1, helping set the foundation for all the success in the future, and then we were thrilled to be able to bring him back for last year’s (conference) championship.

“This is the logical next step for him in his coaching career. He’s instrumental in all facets of our program and I have no doubt he is ready to be a successful head coach. In the meantime, we are very lucky to have him on staff as we try to continue to win championships.”

Between stints at NMU, he worked at Sports Info Solutions as a video scout, using analytical tools to create advanced data about prospects for NBA teams.

He then went to the University of Southern Indiana as director of operations as USI transitioned to NCAA Division I.

Prior to 2019, Ganz spent three years as a basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at St. Norbert in De Pere, Wisconsin. The Division III Green Knights finished 57-20 in that span with two Midwest Conference regular season titles and produced a half-dozen all-MWC players.

Before that, he was head coach at Kewaunee, Wisconsin, High School, where his team showed an eight-win improvement that included a 12-game winning streak and runner-up finish in its conference.

Ganz also has 10 years of AAU coaching experience, serving as the program director-coach for the AAU Wisconsin Jets from 2011-18 and leading the team to multiple titles. Also, in 2019 he coached with the Wisconsin Shooters, and in 2021 coached with the Wisconsin Playground Club.

He got his start as a coach as a student assistant at Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he was in charge of the matchup board during games and worked with coaches on matchups and strategies. Ganz also did film projects and helped with recruiting and administrative responsibilities.

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Sweeney has risen quickly with the NMU women’s basketball team after having joined the Wildcats exactly a year ago as his original appointment was announced on July 11, 2023.

In the past year, the Northern women were third in the GLIAC regular season at 13-5 and went on to finish as runner-up in the conference tournament to earn an NCAA tourney bid.

The Wildcats won their first national tournament game since 2019, dominating Kentucky Wesleyan 69-56, before falling to GLIAC regular season and tourney champion Grand Valley State 72-44 at the Lakers’ gym in the second round to finish at 22-10.

Sweeney also helped guide Northern to lead the conference in defensive rebounding and fewest turnovers per game.

“Jordan has earned this position through his dedication and experience on the court,” Thousand said in an NMU SI release about his promotion. “He understands everything that goes into a successful program behind the scenes. His knowledge of the game and his positive energy are a great fit within our program.

“Jordan wants our program to be better each day. This is why Jordan is being promoted to this position.”

The native of Cedarville in the eastern Upper Peninsula, Sweeney was a member of the Trojans’ 2007 state championship team. He also played college basketball at Alpena Community College before he graduated from Central Michigan University in 2013 with a degree in physical education.

He then became an assistant men’s coach at GLIAC member Ferris State from 2013-15 as the Bulldogs won the GLIAC tourney title and advanced to the NCAAs in 2015.

He went on to become the head women’s coach at Michigan-Dearborn, creating a new standard for these Wolverines. UMD had its best two seasons with Sweeney as coach, including a 24-7 mark in 2018-19. The Wolverines achieved their first national NAIA ranking during this time, climbing as high as No. 18, while Rozhane Wells became UMD’s first All-American.

Prior to being named women’s head coach, Sweeney was the UM-Dearborn men’s JV coach in 2015-16.

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