Men's Basketball Coaches
 Brad
Zarges
Head Coach
8th Season
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Coach Zarges]
Highlander fans will tell you that the win-loss record during
Brad Zarges’s first five seasons doesn’t tell the whole story of
the improvement in the men’s basketball program. Close games and
last-second losses in the very competitive American Mideast
Conference have been the norm in recent years.
Zarges was able to see marked improvement in his team in
2003-2004. Belying the 8-18 record was
the team’s performance in conference play, which included
late-season wins over NAIA No. 24 Daemen and No. 26 St. Vincent,
both of whom advanced to the NAIA national tournament. The
biggest game, however, could arguably have been the 71-56
victory over Roberts Wesleyan that broke a 15-game losing streak
to their long-time rivals.
The 2002-03 season was marked
by 12 games decided by 10 points or less and seven losses within
five points as the team finished 6-20. With a solid corps of
talented underclassmen, the Highlanders finished 7-19 in 2001-02,
closing the season with two conference victories.
Aside from his dedication to building a competitive team on the
court, Zarges has a deep commitment to developing a team that
desires to serve others off the court. He has been highly
involved in Houghton’s sports ministry outreach, taking his team
on short-term summer missions trips to the Czech Republic and
Guatemala. He and his players have also been involved in
reaching out to the local community through the Saturday morning
basketball program, numerous service projects, and various
teaching clinics.
Zarges, a native of White Plains, N.Y. played basketball for two
years at Houghton, before beginning his coaching career as a
student assistant under then head coach Steve Brooks in 1989.
After earning his degree in physical education, Zarges was named
full-time assistant under Brooks in 1992.
Prior to the 1994-95 season, Zarges was named assistant coach at
King College, where he served for five years and helped turn
around a struggling program. The team improved from five wins in
1994-95 to 20 wins, capturing a conference championship, and
earning an NAIA Division II national tournament berth in
1997-98. He also helped implement a defensive philosophy that
placed King among the NAIA’s top-ten in defensive scoring
average that season.
Zarges has also gained experience as co-director of King’s
summer camp program, as an instructor at the David Lipscomb
College Big Man Camp, and as a volunteer head coach of the
Tennessee Bucks 15-and-under AAU team. He guided that team to
state and national tournament berths in 1995 and 1996.
He
has brought his camp experience to Houghton, where he serves as
co-director of Houghton’s successful summer basketball camps.
During his time here, the camps have grown to become one of the
largest in Western New York.
Zarges is also active on the national level, serving as a member
of the National Tournament Committee at the NAIA Division II
National Tournament. In that role, he is involved in the
administration of the 32-team tournament, the selection of the
all-tournament team, and the selection of the NAIA All-America
Team.
During his coaching stints at both Houghton and King, Zarges
also worked in the colleges’ admissions offices, gaining
additional valuable experience in recruiting.
Zarges also teaches in Houghton’s Physical Education and
Recreation Department.
He and his wife Bev have two sons, Will and Jacob, and one
daughter, Jenna.
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