Kirkwood names Tim Sandquist new men’s basketball coach

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tim Sandquist, who coached Rock Valley College to a runner-up finish in the NJCAA Division III national tournament last year, was named men's basketball coach at Kirkwood Community College, athletics director Doug Wagemester announced Wednesday.

'Tim comes to us with a very extensive and successful junior college background ...,” Wagemester said in a release. 'I am confident that Tim's passion for the game of basketball, coupled with his love for helping young men reach their goals, will allow him to thrive in and build on the culture that has been established here at Kirkwood.”

A native of Omaha, Neb., Sandquist coached the Rockford, Ill., junior college to a 25-7 record last season. Before his one season at Rock Valley, he served as the top assistant coach for the Northwest Kansas Tech Mavericks, an NJCAA Division I program. He also coached at Southwestern Community College in Creston and Nebraska-Omaha.

'I am incredibly humbled and honored to become the head coach at Kirkwood,” Sandquist said in the release. 'Kirkwood is a special place with a great tradition of excellence and I cannot wait to get started in Cedar Rapids.”

Sandquist replaces Bryan Petersen, who left to become an assistant at South Dakota State. In six seasons, Petersen helped Kirkwood to a 157-38 record that included NJCAA Division II national championships in 2016 and 2019.