Craig Kowal enters his first year as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse in 2026-27.
COACHING EXPERIENCE:
* High school boys basketball coach for 26 seasons with an overall record of 481-176.
* Head coach at Onalaska (Wis.) High School from 2009-26, winning state championship in 2012 and finishing state runner-up in 2021.
* Won nine Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) titles at Onalaska (Wis.).
* Led Onalaska (Wis.) to 13 regional and three sectional championships.
* Head coach La Crescent-Hokah (Minn.) High School from 2002-09, leading team to its only state tournament appearance in 2008.
* Won three conference championships at La Crescent-Hokah (Minn.).
* Captured three sub-sectional and one sectional title.
* Head coach at Granton (Wis.) High School in 2000-01.
* Assistant coach at Thorp (Wis.) High School in 1999-2000.
* Assistant coach at La Crosse (Wis.) Logan High School in 1998-99.
* Assistant coach at Western Technical College (Wis.) in 1997-98.
COACHING/PLAYER AWARDS:
* Named MVC Coach of the Year nine times.
* Coached 27 athletes who played at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II and III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Junior College (JUCO) levels.
* Coached Matt Thomas at Onalaska (Wis.) High School, who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is currently in his 10th season playing professionally.
EDUCATION:
* Bachelor’s degree in physical education/coaching competitive athletics from UWL in 1998.
* Master’s degree in leadership and coaching from Concordia University Irvine (Calif.) in 2015.
