Steve Schmidt is a member of an elite college basketball fraternity.  It is a rare honor for any coach to be able to do what he loves best on a court that bears his name, in a building branded by his reputation.  The Steve Schmidt Gymnasium at Mott Community College isn't a household name like Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke or Rupp Arena at Kentucky, but in junior college circles, it's known as the Schmidt House - the home of the national champions.

 

It was an honor bestowed upon one of the most winningest coaches in the history of juco basketball, and one that he gets to experience in the prime of his career.

 

Schmidt has been at the helm of one the most consistently successful basketball programs at any level for 33 years.  Since taking the reins at Mott is 1991, his teams have won four NJCAA National Championships.  The Mott Bears have also been National runner-up three times.  As you might imagine, the program holds many national records including the highest winning percentage in the history of the national tournament (33-9).  Schmidt has been named NJCAA National Coach of the Year four times - also a record.  In 2016, CoachStat, a national basketball coaching publication, ranked him as one of the top five JUCO coaches in the nation.  

 

The 2023 national tournament marked the Bears' 11th apprearance under Schmidt, whose 818 victories in 33 years are the most by any men's coach in the history of Michigan Collegiate Coaches (all levels).  Coach Schmidt's cumulative record is currently 818-236.

 

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Steve Schmidt is a native of Lansing, Michigan.  He graduated from Lansing Waverly High School where he was named to the Class A All State teams in both football (quarterback) and basketball.  His first two years in college were spent on the west coast competing at West Valley College in Saratoga, California.  Schmidt returned home to compete and earn his degree at Central Michigan University, where he graduated in 1986.  Schmidt toured and played basketball professionally for three years before returning to Lansing.  In 1990 he interviewed in the summer for the head coaching position at Mott Community College and Flint has been his home since accepting the job...

 

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