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Aurora announced the hiring of Steve Christiansen as head men's basketball coach, after a year in which Matt Airy was cut loose midseason and the Spartans finished 5-18.
Airy had been the head coach since April 2019, but was let go in early February. Aurora finished the season under interim coach Tyler Jones, losing five of the final six games.
Christiansen spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach at Division I Northern Illinois but prior to his time there, Christiansen spent 17 seasons as the head coach at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, where he amassed over 400 victories. During his time at Triton, Christiansen guided the Trojans to 10 N4C conference championships and six Region IV crowns as well as the 2018 NJCAA Division II national championship.
After winning the national title in 2018, Christiansen was named to the NJCAA Division II national championship Coach of the Tournament, NABC Junior College Coach of the Year and Spalding NJCAA Coach of the Year. In addition, Christiansen was a five-time District Three Coach of the Year, Region IV Coach of the Year and IBCA Junior College Coach of the Year, earning each of those honors in 2006, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
"We are thrilled that Steve Christiansen has decided to join the AU community," said AU Vice President for Athletics Jim Hamad. "I have gotten to know him well through the search and it is evident that he has the characteristics needed to lead young men and create a winning program that excels in all areas of higher education. AU has a rich history in men's basketball and under Steve's leadership, we are confident the program will return to a level that makes the university and alumni proud."
In the AU men's basketball program, Christiansen takes over the reins of the Spartan program that are no strangers to success. The 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Spartans made back to back NCAA Tournament appearances including the programs second NCAA win at WashU in the 2017-2018 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have 27 winning seasons in the last 29 seasons on the court while having won three regular season and three tournament titles in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in recent years. In the 16 seasons of the NACC, AU has won seven regular season and six tournament championships.
"I want to thank Aurora University President Dr. Rebecca Sherrick and her team along with our outstanding Vice President for Athletics, Jim Hamad, who was a major reason why I was interested in the job. Additionally, Northern Illinois University and in particular Head Coach Rashon Burno for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of coaching at the Division I level. I want to thank my wonderful family and all my friends for their unconditional love and support throughout all the stops on my coaching journey. Lastly, I need to thank all the amazing players I have had the privilege to coach. This profession is all about helping you. through your growth and achievement, you have provided me with a lifetime of happiness and countless memories. I look forward to writing many more of those chapters with the Spartans of today and tomorrow," Christiansen added.