Mount Mercy turns to Tim Schuring for women’s basketball rebuilding task

CEDAR RAPIDS — He has done it before.

Tim Schuring takes on the challenge of rebuilding the Mount Mercy University women's basketball program. The school announced his hiring Wednesday.

'Over the last year, I developed a strong desire to get back into coaching,' said Schuring, 53. 'I wanted to build a program that has been struggling, that needs to be built up.'

Mount Mercy certainly qualifies.

The Mustangs went 5-24 last season, 2-22 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. They lost their final seven games.

Schuring succeeds Micha Mims, who announced Feb. 5 that she was stepping down at the end of the season. Mims compiled a 30-91 record in four seasons.

'Tim has revived collegiate programs into conference and national contenders,' Mount Mercy athletics director Paul Gavin said in a release. 'His passion for creating a strong and positive team culture will be integral to the success of our women's basketball program.'

Schuring took over the men's program at NAIA Division-II Saint Mary (Kan.) in 1998. Under his leadership, the Spires went from four victories to a school-record 24 wins and reached the Sweet 16 of the NAIA national tournament in his third season.

He went on to lead the men's program at Dakota State (S.D.) — another NAIA Division II program — from 2001 through 2005, taking a four-win team to the runner-up in the Dakota Athletic Conference in 2004-05.

Schuring also served as a head boys' coach at Blakesburg, Seymour and Albia high schools and as an men's assistant at Iowa Wesleyan and Luther. He founded TNT5 Basketball Development, a skill-development organization, in 2008 and has coached at the club level.

'I think turning programs around ... it's something I enjoy doing, and I think I have a set of skill to do it,' he said. 'All building processes take time, but I definitely think Mount Mercy is a program with a great deal of potential.'

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