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| Keith Salscheider went 83-101 in seven seasons at Maranatha Baptist, which makes him the winningest coach in program history. Photo by Kaitlyn Dobson, Maranatha Baptist athletics |
After seven seasons as the head men's basketball coach at Marantha Baptist University, Keith Salscheider has stepped down. The University announced that his former player and associate head coach Joel Borchardt will take over the program.
The University announced the move via press release on Thursday.
"Over the last seven years, I've been blessed to be the head men's basketball coach at MBU," Salscheider said in the release. "Due to a variety of factors, the time has come for Joel [Borchardt] to take over the program. I've been mentoring Joel for this opportunity over the last few years and am very proud of him."
The press release notes that Salscheider will "pursue other professional opportunities" following the recent birth of his daughter.
Salscheider took over a program that had not had a winning season prior to his arrival according to NCAA records. He led the Sabercats to two 16-win seasons in 2015 and last season. Overall the Sabercats went 83-101 in Salscheider's tenure.
Maranatha Baptist's win totals increased after the school left the Northern Athletics Conference (now the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference) at end of the 2013 season. The Sabercats have joint membership in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and participate in its postseason. They won regional titles at that level the past two seasons.
Salscheider is succeeded by Joel Borchardt who played four seasons, including one under Salscheider, and scored over 1,200 points at Maranatha Baptist. Borchardt, who was the NACC Freshman of the Year in 2010, was an assistant and associate head coach for the Sabercats the last three seasons.
"I am extremely thankful for the opportunity," Borchardt said in the release. "I have learned a lot about coaching and leadership from the entire coaching staff, and I believe I am ready to step into this position. I'm thankful for Coach Keith and for his dedication these last seven years to make this program successful.
"I hope to continue that success and push our program even further as we all work together to make each other better and glorify God in our efforts."
Maranatha Baptist will enter the 2019-20 season as the only Division III men's basketball program that is not a member of a conference. The other two Independents last season were UC Santa Cruz which joined the ACAA and the College of New Rochelle which closed.