Olivet College head men’s basketball coach Steve Ernst resigns

OLIVET, Mich. – Olivet College head men's basketball coach Steve Ernst has resigned, according to an announcement by Director of Athletics Ryan Shockey.

"We would like to thank Steve for his commitment to our men's basketball program for the last three seasons," said Shockey. "Steve has had a very positive impact on our men's basketball program and I am very thankful for all that he has done for our department. I have enjoyed working with Steve over the past three years and he will be missed at Olivet College. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

Ernst amassed a 38-41 overall record in his three seasons at the helm of the Comets. That record includes a 23-19 mark against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opponents. In 2017-18, Ernst led Olivet to a 16-11 record and share of the MIAA title with a 10-4 record. The Comets earned the No. 1 seed, and hosted the MIAA Tournament semifinals and championship game for the first time in school history.

This season, Ernst guided Olivet to a 13-11 overall record and tie for third-place in the league standings with an 8-6 mark. The Comets hosted a MIAA Tournament first round game for the fourth time in Olivet history. Two days later, Olivet was eliminated from the tournament with a loss in the semifinals.

During his tenure, Ernst coached five All-MIAA players, with four of them earning All-MIAA First Team honors. In addition, the MIAA scoring champion was an Olivet player in each of his three seasons – Eric Ewing (21.1 ppg in 2017), Jalen Adams (26.3 ppg in 2018) and Trevor Manuel (21.1 ppg).

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.