KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball head coach Greg Tonagel added to his legendary career with another award honoring his dedication to the growth of student-athletes on and off the court. Small College Basketball awarded him the SCB Harry Statham Coach of Impact on Friday.

The purpose of the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award is to honor a coach that has used the  power of the coaching platform to make a positive impact on players, coaches, and others. The coach is a person of high character and integrity who has served as an excellent role model,  and who has deeply impacted the lives of others.
 
"I am absolutely honored and appreciative to be recognized as this year's recipient of the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award," said Greg Tonagel. "The significance of this award is amplified by both what it stands for and the incredible legacy of the man it honors—Coach Harry Statham. Although Coach Statham had lots of success, it was his purpose in positively impacting young people that was his legacy."
The award is named after Harry Statham, former Head Basketball Coach at McKendree University. Coach Statham is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)  Basketball Hall of Fame and concluded his 52-year career with 1,122 wins.
 
Tonagel finished his 20th season as the head coach of the Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball squad in March and has totaled 550 career wins. Taking the helm of the Wildcat program at the age of 24, Tonagel is the youngest men's basketball coach in the history of NCAA D1 and the NAIA to 500 wins last year in his 19^th season. Only five coaches in the history of men's basketball have reached the milestone before their 21st season: Mark Few did it in 18 seasons, Roy Williams did it 19, and John Calipari, Bill Self, and Jerry Tarkanian,  accomplished it in 20. Greg Marshall, Jim Boeheim, Bob Huggins, Tom Izzo and Billy Donovan all did it in their 21st seasons.

In his career, Tonagel has won 79% of his games, 3 NAIA National Championships, 13 regular-season conference championships, and garnered 88 All-Conference Players and 25 NAIA All-Americans.

"We are thankful for Greg and his desire to lead young men towards Christ," said Deane Webb, Director of Athletics. "As a passionate, driven, and competitive coach, he has found considerable success on the court. That pales in comparison to his desire to see those in his program grow. Congratulations on this incredible and much deserved award!"

Tonagel is the sixth winner of the SCB Harry Statham Award, going back to 2019. 

For the full release from Small College Basketball, click HERE.


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