La Crosse, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Men's Basketball Head Coach
JT Gritzmacher has been selected the 2025-26 Division III Public Men's Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the organization announced.
Gritzmacher completed his third season as UWL's head coach, leading the Eagles to a 24-7 overall and 9-5 record in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The 24 overall wins are second-most in school history. UWL won a school record 25 games in 2024-25 under Gritzmacher.
JT Gritzmacher has led UWL to back-to-back
appearances in the NCAA III Championships.
UWL advanced to the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Sweet 16, falling 83-78 at eventual national champion the University of Mary Washington (Va.). The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a pair of wins in Mitchell Hall, including a 75-61 victory over Hope College (Mich.) in the first round and a 79-62 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) in the second round.
The Eagles, 11th in the final 2025-26 D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships after capturing the WIAC Tournament title with an 81-78 victory at UW-Whitewater. It marked UWL's first conference tournament title in school history. The Eagles opened WIAC Tournament play with a 87-83 win over UW-Stout and earned a 82-62 victory at UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals.
UWL led the WIAC in scoring margin (+7.9) and opponents' field goal percentage (.427) while ranking second in scoring (80.6 per game). The Eagles were third in free throw percentage (.720), rebounding (35.6) and blocks (3.61).
Gritzmacher is 63-31 (.670) overall and 29-13 (.690) in the WIAC in three seasons.
UWL earned at an-large bid to the 2025 NCAA III Championships, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. The Eagles were 12-2 in the WIAC, their most conference victories since going 12-4 in 2006-07, while playing in the tournament championship game.
Eleven All-WIAC selections have been earned under Gritzmacher, including seven first team choices.
Dustin Derousseau,
Sam Grieger and
JJ Paider were all named to the 2024-25 and 2025-26 all-conference first team with Grieger being named the WIAC Player of the Year. Paider earned 2023-24 All-WIAC First Team accolades.
Derousseau, Grieger and Paider earned all-region and all-district honors in 2025-26. Grieger was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III Player of the Year while earning All-America First Team honors. He was also a D3hoops.com All-America Second Team selection.
UWL won its first WIAC Tournament title in school history.
A West Allis, Wis. native, Gritzmacher has spent three seasons as the head coach at Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.) prior to arriving at UWL. During his time at Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), the Bobcats compiled a 57-30 overall record including winning a single-season school record 26 games.
Prior to taking over at Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), Gritzmacher was an assistant at Southeastern Community College (Iowa). He was a student assistant coach at UW-Whitewater from 2011-13 and an assistant coach for the Warhawks from 2015-17.
He earned his bachelor's degree from UW-Whitewater in 2013 in health, human performance and recreation and his Master's Degree from Longwood University (Va.), where he was a graduate assistant coach with the men's basketball program.
