Jon Lewis

Coach

Jon Lewis became the head coach at MNU prior to the 2011-12 season and has transformed the Pioneers into a nationally ranked powerhouse. In just 10 years at the helm, Lewis has won 3 Heart championships, 4 conference tournament championships, and has 10 national tournament appearances. The Pioneers won the National Championship in 2016, the program’s first national title.

His record is 256-73 (0.778) overall, 177-39 (0.819) in the Heart. He is a two-time Heart Coach of the Year, and he was named 2016 NAIA National Coach of the Year.

Prior to being named head coach, Lewis spent the previous 5 seasons at MNU as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Bill Olin and Karen Lange. Under their tutelage, Jon proved to be a dynamic recruiter and student of the game. In addition to working with the Pioneers, Lewis has been instrumental in developing many NCAA DI, DII, and NAIA student-athletics while co-founding the KC Hoops Factory program and most recently helping build one of the Kansas City’s top girls club basketball programs, Eclipse, an elite non-for-profit AAU program with over 25 teams. While traveling across the country coaching summer teams, Lewis has been able to evaluate and recruit some of the nation’s best prospects.

During his playing years with the MNU men’s basketball team, Jon was a part of multiple conference championships and four national tournament teams. The knowledge gained from working with MNU men’s basketball coach, Rocky Lamar, has been invaluable to Jon’s coaching experience. As part of the MNU coaching staff, the Pioneers have had the best seasons in women’s basketball history.

Jon has coached in 12 national tournaments, winning the National Championship in 2016. He has helped recruit and coach 2 Conference Freshmen of the Year, 4 Conference Players of the Year, numerous All-Conference selections, 15 NAIA All-Americans and numerous NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athletes.

Jon graduated from MNU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education. During his coaching tenure at MNU, he has also completed a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Throughout Jon’s early coaching years he worked as a high school teacher. He taught special education, and also developed and implemented Gardner-Edgerton School District’s first ever at-risk program called New Directions.

Jon is married to Brandi, a former MNU Pioneer basketball player. She currently works as a labor and delivery nurse and massage therapist. Jon and Brandi have two children and live in Olathe.