Brett Putz, a native of Forest City, begins his second season at the helm of the men's basketball program.

"DMACC is a place that I have both followed as a fan and recruited as a coach, and I take great pride in the opportunity to lead the program." 

In his first season, Putz lead the Bears to a record 21-5 and conference record of 17-4. That included an ICCAC Championship, Region XI-A Championship, a North Central-A District Championship and brought home the schools first National Championship.

Along with leading the Bears to those team honors, Putz was named ICCAC Coach of the Year, NJCAA National Coach of the Year, NJCAA National Tournament Coach of the Tournament, and NABC Two-Year College Coach of the Year.

Five of Putz's players were named to the All-Region XI Team, which included Willie Guy, who was named NJCAA First Team All-American, NABC All-American, ICCAC Player of the Year and also ICCAC Student Athlete of the Year/

Putz came to DMACC from Chicago State University, where he was involved in player development with both guards and post players, game planning, team travel and academics for the past two seasons. As recruiting coordinator for the Cougars, Putz helped recruit domestic and international student-athletes to Chicago State's campus.  

Putz arrived at Chicago State after a short stint as an assistant coach at Highland Community College, located in Freeport, Ill. During his time at Highland, he was involved in recruiting, specifically international student-athletes, and organized player development. 

In 2016-17, Putz was recognized on the National Association of Basketball Coaches' 30 Under 30 List, which recognizes a group of up-and-coming young coaches in men's college basketball.  

Putz spent two years as the Director of Men's Basketball Operations at Omaha from 2016-18 while overseeing administrative and logistical duties of the program's day-to-day operations, team travel and summer camps. During his time in Omaha, the Mavericks tied their Division I record for wins in a season (18) and reached the championship game at 2017 Summit League Tournament. 

A native of Forest City, Iowa, Putz served three years as an assistant coach at Wayne State (Neb.) College from 2013-16 where he was the recruiting coordinator and coached the Wildcats' perimeter players. He also shared responsibility over academic duties and managed scouting reports at WSC. 

Previously, Putz was an assistant coach for one season at St. Cloud State (SCSU). He helped guide the Huskies to the 2013 NSIC North Division title with a record of 20-8 (16-6 NSIC). Putz also coached with the Iowa Mavericks and Iowa Barnstormer AAU programs from 2010-12. 

As a player, Putz was a four-year starter at St. Cloud State and was part of the Huskies' NCAA Division II Final Four team in 2010. He finished his career as SCSU's career leader in games played (124) and was second in 3-pointers made (245), 10th in steals (142) and 18th in scoring (1,315). 

Putz graduated with his bachelor's degree in recreation/sports management from SCSU in 2012 and earned his master's degree in organizational leadership from Saint Mary's (Minn.) in 2016. 

Putz and his wife Jen resides in Boone.