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 Head Coach Steve Platt

Steve Platt became the 23^rd head coach in Huntington University’s 80-year men’s basketball history at the start of the 1994 season.  In the thirteen years since, he has guided the Foresters to five MCC regular season titles, five MCC Tournament Championships, two NAIA Final Four appearances, including National Runners-up in 2006 and seven national tournament appearances in the last eight years.  His players have earned 22 All-American honors, including a NAIA National Player of the Year, 39 All-Conference honors, and on seven occasions, a Forester has been named the MCC Player of the Year. 

Platt, who has compiled 307 wins against 133 losses as a head coach, saw his 2006-07 squad earn the top spot in the NAIA Division II national rankings for the first time in the program’s history.  They remained atop the list for three weeks in December.  Platt led the team to another MCC regular season and tournament championship.  The Foresters knocked off the 9^th-ranked Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats in the final game to earn their sixth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Branson, Missouri.  Platt’s winning percentage of .698 is the highest in school history.  He reached the 100-win plateau faster than any previous Huntington men’s basketball coach during his sixth season at the helm and notched his 300^th win last season on January 30 with a 66-48 victory over conference rival Taylor University.

Coach Platt's winning percentage of .685 is the highest in school history.  He reached the 100-win plateau faster than any previous Huntington men’s basketball coach during his sixth season at the helm and needed just three more years and two games to claim his 200^th win.  If the Foresters can continue their streak of 20-win seasons in 2006-07, Coach Platt could reach another landmark in his career, his 300th victory as head coach of the Foresters.

As a player for Huntington College from 1970-74, Platt led the Foresters to a record of 78 wins against 38 losses. In the process of that achievement, Platt was a four-time selection as All-District Player of the Year and NAIA All-American.

Platt continues to hold several records for the Foresters. His career statistics remain a measuring stick for all men’s basketball players at the collegiate level. He remains the state of Indiana’s all-time collegiate leader in scoring with 3,700 points, which places him seventh all-time on the list of collegiate scorers at any level, including NCAA Division I. Platt twice led the nation in scoring, averaging 36 ppg in 1972-73, and 38 ppg in 1973-74.

Among many other records still held by Platt, he continues to lead HU in career rebounds (1,917), career field goals made (1,463), and career free throws made (774). With these remarkable statistics, the Washington Bullets (NBA) drafted Platt following his senior season. Platt was the final player released from the Bullets following the pre-season schedule.

His accomplishments have not been overlooked by the University, the state of Indiana, or the nation. Platt was recognized in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel as one of Northeast Indiana’s Top 50 Athletes of the Century. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, and was the first inductee to the Huntington University Hall of Fame in 1974. Platt was also a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team in 1990, and was a Huntington University Centennial Medallion Recipient in 1997.

Platt was born in Bluffton, Ind., on November 2, 1947, and graduated from Union Township High School. He graduated from Huntington College in 1974 with a degree in Business Administration. He served as assistant coach for the Foresters from 1976-81 under head coach Keith Spahr. Coach Platt and his wife, Peggy, live on a farm east of Huntington. Their son, Ty, is the associate head coach at HU. Ty and his wife, Brenda, have two sons, Kyle (age 12) and Konner (age 9) along with a daughter, Kalee (age 8). The Platts’ daughter, Polly, and her husband, Dan, live in Fort Wayne, Ind., with their 11-year-old daughter, Abbigail.

Coach Platt's Season Records 

Steve Platt's Playing and Coaching Honors

• NAIA Runners-Up 2006

• NAIA Final Four 2000, 2006

• NAIA Elite Eight 2000, 2003, 2006

• NAIA Sweet Sixteen 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006

• MCC Coach of the Year, 1999-2000

• MCC Champions 1998-99, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07

• Northeast Indiana Top 50 Athletes of the Century (Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)

• HC Centennial Medallion Recipient, 1997

• Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, 1996

• Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team, 1990

• HC Alumnus of the Year, 1987, 2003

• NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame, 1987

• First Inductee to HC Hall of Fame, 1974

• NAIA All-American, 1974

• The state of Indiana's all-time collegiate leader in scoring--3,700 points
   

During Head Coach Steve Platt’s tenure, he has worked to create a family atmosphere with the Forester men’s basketball program, and now he has made it a family affair with his son, Ty, on the sideline with him as the Associate Head Coach. 

The younger Platt joins the staff having coached twelve years in the high school ranks.  Upon his graduation from Taylor University in 1992, Platt spent a year assisting his former coach, Paul Patterson, before taking the boys’ head coach position at Southwestern High School the following year.  He spent two years there and then took the reins of the Columbus East program.  After a four-year stint in Columbus, Platt wanted to move back closer to family.  He took over the Norwell boys’ program in 1999 and remained there for six years.  As a head coach, he won more than 125 games, a conference title and a sectional title.  His achievements also earned him Coach of the Year honors. 

As the Foresters’ Associate Head Coach, Platt’s responsibilities are an extension of those of the head coach.  He is active in running practices, the recruiting process and administrative duties.  “Ty has been a head coach as long as I have, so I feel very comfortable with him handling many of the team responsibilities,” says Head Coach Platt. 

As a player in the successful Taylor University basketball program, Platt scored over 1100 points in his career.  As an NAIA All-District player, he helped lead the Trojans to three NAIA National Tournament berths and a Final Four appearance in 1991.  He graduated in 1992 with a degree in Physical Education and Health and earned a Masters of Education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1997.  Platt currently teaches psychology and health at Norwell High School.  He and his wife, Brenda, have three children, Kyle (12), Konner (9) and Kalee (8).

Mark Green enters his fourth season as the assistant basketball coach for the Foresters.  Green brings a variety of coaching experiences to the position.  In 1993-1995, he coached the freshmen boys’ basketball team at Columbia City High School and compiled a 32-8 record during his two years in the position.  During his five-year stint as an employee here at HU, he was able to make use of his athletic experience and degree in physical education by serving at various times as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer, golf and track teams.   

Under Coach Platt, Green’s coaching responsibilities mainly include recruiting, administrative duties, and building relationships with the players.  Here at HU Green also is in his second season as the Foresters' head golf coach.