Cornell promotes Dave Schlabaugh to head men’s basketball coach

MOUNT VERNON - After one season as an assistant, Dave Schlabaugh is now head men's basketball coach at Cornell College, the school announced Friday.

Schlabaugh replaces Chad Murray, who was 71-121 in eight seasons and is now the head coach at Pacific Lutheran University, a fellow NCAA Division III school in Tacoma, Wash.

Schlabaugh was the head boys' basketball coach at Williamsburg High School from 2008-15, compiling a 106-60 record that included a fourth-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament in 2015. He was an assistant at Clear Creek Amana for a year before coming to Cornell.

'I want to thank President (Jonathan) Brand, (interim athletics director) Jeff Meeker and everyone involved in the search process for giving me the opportunity to lead this program,” Schlabaugh said in a statement. 'I'm excited and blessed to have such a great group of young men to work with. We are looking forward as a team to continue our progress in building a great program.”

The Rams were 12-12 last season and appeared in the Midwest Conference tournament for the first time since 2010.

'We are thrilled to have Coach Schlabaugh take the reins of our men's basketball program,” Meeker said in a statement. 'His character, passion for our student-athletes and extensive coaching experience make him a perfect fit for Cornell. We are very excited about the future and look forward to Dave's leadership in helping our program move forward.”

Schlabaugh, a Kalona native and Mid-Prairie graduate, also works with USA Basketball and has been a lead instructor with Snow Valley Basketball School since 1999. He has been an assistant coach at Mid-Prairie (1984-88, 2003-08), Iowa Lakes Community College (1988-90) and his alma mater, Morningside College (1990-96).