Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Merrimack on November 3, 2025 at 8 p.m.
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8 p.m.
Men's Basketball
vs Merrimack
South Dakota State University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Christian, Cole
Cole Christian
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Cole.Christian@sdstate.edu
South Dakota State men’s basketball head coach Bryan Petersen added another assistant to his inaugural staff on Wednesday, April 16, as he announced the hiring of Cole Christian.
“We are very excited to add Cole and Jessica to our Jackrabbit basketball family,” Petersen said. “Cole brings multiple years of Division I experience to our program. He has worked with some high-level players and coaches in his short career. We look forward to seeing the impact he will make with our players!”
Christian has made multiple stops at the Division I level over the past eight seasons. He most recently spent the last three years at Murray State which competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.
His time with the Racers began with the program moving into the MVC. Christian’s first season at Murray State in 2022-23 saw the squad earn a winning record along with a victory at ‘Arch Madness’ over Valparaiso. His duration in Murray, Ky., featured Christian handling the team’s offensive system including installation, game-planning and in-game play calling. He also rotated duties in defensive scouts with the entire staff as well.
Christian garnered experience with academic and skill development of multiple position groups at Murray State. He oversaw all-game scheduling efforts which included guarantee games, home and homes, as well as multi-team events.
Christian spent the 2021-22 campaign at Akron as the Zips’ Director of Basketball Operations & Analytics. That year he was part of a squad that won the Mid-American Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, narrowly falling to third-seeded UCLA, 57-53. His time with Akron saw him coordinate the day-to-day operations of the program including travel, the team budget, donor relations and financial aid.
Having previously earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State, Christian returned to the school in Ames to complete a graduate assistant stint from 2018-21. His span with the Cyclones during that period occurred under head coach Steve Prohm, who he would eventually work for in his time at Murray State. The Cyclones won a Big 12 tournament championship in 2019. Christian also was instrumental in on-floor player development workouts in his time at Iowa State, helping to develop five All-Big 12 selections along with three NBA Draft picks in Tyrese Haliburton, Talen Horton-Tucker and Marial Shayok.
Christian got his full-time start in coaching in 2017 as the director of basketball operations at UT Martin. A native of Corydon, Iowa, Christian earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Iowa State in 2017. He served as a student manager for the Cyclones as an undergraduate.
“We are very excited to add Cole and Jessica to our Jackrabbit basketball family,” Petersen said. “Cole brings multiple years of Division I experience to our program. He has worked with some high-level players and coaches in his short career. We look forward to seeing the impact he will make with our players!”
Christian has made multiple stops at the Division I level over the past eight seasons. He most recently spent the last three years at Murray State which competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.
His time with the Racers began with the program moving into the MVC. Christian’s first season at Murray State in 2022-23 saw the squad earn a winning record along with a victory at ‘Arch Madness’ over Valparaiso. His duration in Murray, Ky., featured Christian handling the team’s offensive system including installation, game-planning and in-game play calling. He also rotated duties in defensive scouts with the entire staff as well.
Christian garnered experience with academic and skill development of multiple position groups at Murray State. He oversaw all-game scheduling efforts which included guarantee games, home and homes, as well as multi-team events.
Christian spent the 2021-22 campaign at Akron as the Zips’ Director of Basketball Operations & Analytics. That year he was part of a squad that won the Mid-American Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, narrowly falling to third-seeded UCLA, 57-53. His time with Akron saw him coordinate the day-to-day operations of the program including travel, the team budget, donor relations and financial aid.
Having previously earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State, Christian returned to the school in Ames to complete a graduate assistant stint from 2018-21. His span with the Cyclones during that period occurred under head coach Steve Prohm, who he would eventually work for in his time at Murray State. The Cyclones won a Big 12 tournament championship in 2019. Christian also was instrumental in on-floor player development workouts in his time at Iowa State, helping to develop five All-Big 12 selections along with three NBA Draft picks in Tyrese Haliburton, Talen Horton-Tucker and Marial Shayok.
Christian got his full-time start in coaching in 2017 as the director of basketball operations at UT Martin. A native of Corydon, Iowa, Christian earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Iowa State in 2017. He served as a student manager for the Cyclones as an undergraduate.
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