STEVENS POINT – The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point announced the hiring of Kent Dernbach as its new assistant men's basketball coach today.

Dernbach was the director of basketball operations at Northern Illinois University for the last three years and spent the two previous seasons at George Mason University. He will be the top assistant for head coach Bob Semling and will assist in all aspects of the program.

“Kent was the best fit for the profile we had created for this position,” said Semling. “He separated himself from a very strong field of candidates. His experience with Division I and Division III basketball along with admissions experience was something that really stood out.”

Joining a program that has won three national titles in seven years, Dernbach and the Pointers will look to build on last year's Sweet 16 finish. Winning its latest national title in 2010, UWSP has been in the top 10 of the D3hoops.com poll 36 straight weeks and has an active top 25 appearance streak of 75.

During Dernbach's time at George Mason, the Colonials posted back-to-back 20-win seasons, captured the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. GMU's 2009 recruiting class was tabbed the No. 1 ranked non-BCS class in the nation, and its existing players helped build an APR score that was rated among the top 10 percent in the NCAA Division I ranks.

Prior to his tenure at George Mason, Dernbach served a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where he was the primary recruiter and helped mentor two all-conference players and two league rookies of the year.

Dernbach was a two-year letterwinner (2001-03) at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men compiled a 46-8 record with two CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) championships and a berth in the 2002 NCAA Division III Final Four during Dernbach's career.

Following his playing career, became an assistant coach at North Central High School in Paddock Lake, Wis. He occupied the same role at Whetstone High School in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2004-05 season.

“Having grown up in Central Wisconsin I have seen first-hand the success and tradition of UWSP basketball,” said Dernbach. “I am ecstatic to work alongside Coach Semling who is well-respected across the country and for a program and university that are nationally recognized. I look forward to hitting the ground running to build on the proud tradition of Pointer basketball.”

The Almond, Wis., native graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management and psychology from Carthage in May 2004 and completed his master's degree in physical activity and educational services from The Ohio State University in June 2006.
 
Dernbach is married to the former Amanda Turzinski.