Coaching legend Dave Boots is in his 25th season as South Dakota's men's basketball coach. The veteran mentor has surpassed 600 wins for his career and established himself as one of the outstanding coaches in the nation.
After developing the Coyotes into one of the premier teams at the NCAA Division II level, Boots helped USD find success in its four years of transitioning to NCAA Division I status.
Since his arrival in Vermillion in 1988, Boots has recorded the most wins ever by a head men's basketball coach at the school, posting a 503-225 record for a winning percentage of .691. Named USD's 15th head coach in April 1988, Boots has won numerous honors, including being named conference coach of the year seven times.
A highly respected coach, Boots has been a collegiate head coach for 32 years, posting a record of 618-298 (.675). During his career, he has led the Coyotes to 16, 20-win seasons. Boots earned his 600th win over his career -- becoming the 64th coach in men's basketball history to reach the milestone -- with a 69-63 win over Tabor on Nov. 28, 2011.
Boots, who also serves as assistant athletic director at USD, led the Coyotes to six NCC championships (1992-93, 1993-94, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2006-07), two North Central Region crowns (1992-93, 1993-94) and two appearances in the NCAA Division II Elite 8 National Tournament (1992-93, 1993-94). He continued that at the Division I level with a Great West Conference regular-season and tournament title in 2010.
Boots guided USD to 10 NCAA Division II national tournament appearances, including five straight (2003-08), and continued that with a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2010. The Coyotes were consistently ranked among the Top-25 in Division II.
The veteran mentor guided a Coyote team into its first year in the Summit League in 2011-12. The Coyotes battled through a difficult league schedule to finish eighth in the standings after being picked 10th in the preseason coaches poll. A big highlight was a thrilling 72-68 win over eventual league tournament champion South Dakota State on Feb. 9 in front of 5,189 fans at the DakotaDome. The Coyotes also swept UMKC, earning their first Summit League road win on Jan. 7, and also earns wins over IPFW and IUPUI during conference play. South Dakota won at Morehead State (57-56) and Cansius (67-55) in nonconference play. Senior Charlie Westbrook earned All-Summit League second-team honors as well.
Boots guided a Coyote team with three new starters and several new faces to the Great West Conference championship game in 2010-11. The Coyotes fell one point short of repeating as champions in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to North Dakota. The Coyotes advanced to the finals despite not having injured guard Charlie Westbrook in the lineup for any of the tournament games. The Coyotes reached the 18-win plateau thanks to a late 6-2 surge to close the season, including a key 72-70 win over regular-season champion Utah Valley in the GWC tournament semifinals.
South Dakota also earned a watershed victory when the Coyotes beat Mountain West Conference foe Wyoming on Dec. 1. The win was the Coyotes' biggest since the move to Division I. South Dakota also earned wins over Loyola Marymount and Eastern Washington as well. Charlie Westbrook was named All-GWC first team and to the all-newcomer team, while Louie Krogman was All-GWC second team. South Dakota also had six GWC Players of the Week in 2010-11.
In 2009-10, Boots continued that success with an impressive run during USD's first season in the Great West Conference. The Coyotes notched a 22-10 record, including 11-1 in the league, before capturing the GWC tournament title to earn an appearance against Creighton in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament. Boots was named GWC Coach of the Year, while Tyler Cain claimed GWC MVP and defensive player of the year honors. Roman Gentry joined Cain on the first-team All-GWC, while Jake Thomas was all-newcomer and Louie Krogman was the GWC Sixth Man of the Year.
In 2008-09, during their first year of transition to NCAA Division I status, Boots guided the Coyotes to a 20-9 record, which was the sixth straight year USD has reached the 20-win mark. The Coyotes also finished 14-1 at home as they continued their dominance at the DakotaDome under Boots. USD also recorded its first win over a Divison I foe since making the jump to Division I status with a 74-66 win at New Orleans on Dec. 28, 2008. In addition, USD recorded five wins over Division I foes and posted a 15-game winning streak during the season. The Coyotes also earned several individual honors, as junior forward Tyler Cain earned All-Independent Defensive Player of the Year honors while also being named to the All-Independent first team. Three other Coyotes -- Jesse Becker, Dylan Grimsley and Louie Krogman -- were All-Independent honorable mention selections.
During 2007-08, he led the Coyotes to a 22-7 record, including a 7-5 mark (third) in the final year of the NCC. The team was invited to the NCAA Division II playoffs for a school record fifth straight season. Boots was selected North Central Conference Coach of the Year six times and named Kodak District Coach of the Year three times during his time at the Division II level.
In 2006-07, Boots directed the Coyotes to a 23-7 mark, a total which ranked fourth-best in school history, matching the 1998-99 team's effort. He led USD to its 12th NCC title in school history. The Coyotes' 10 NCC victories were most in the conference since UNO had a 10-4 mark in 2004. Boots' squad captured the tournament title with a 97-86 win over Minnesota State in the tournament championship game held at the DakotaDome. During the 2006-07 season, Boots reached two significant coaching milestones. He won both his 400th career game as the Coyotes' mentor and his 500th overall win as a collegiate coach.
Prior to Boots' arrival, the Coyotes had not experienced a winning season since 1978-79. By comparison, USD's 21 consecutive winning seasons was the longest streak of success in the proud history of South Dakota basketball. In one of the nation's best conferences, Boots's teams compiled a 216-114 (.655) record - the best mark of any league member in that time. The Coyotes never finished lower than fifth in the NCC during Boots' tenure. Besides the six titles, Boots had four runner-up finishes (1991-92, 1995-96, 1996-97, 2004-05) to his credit.
"I feel that our program is well established," Boots said. "We have had excellent students, who represent The U very well, both on the court and in the classroom. Our goal every year is to be a consistent basketball team and compete at the highest level. The student-athletes, who are graduating, pass that pride onto the younger players, who see how the older players work, the sacrifices they make and how dedicated they are to the program. We have had some outstanding assistant coaches, who have worked very hard in recruiting, and certainly, they have been enjoyable to work with here.
"We have a great student involvement at our games, great alumni backing and support from the community of Vermillion and the administration at The University," Boots said. "They have been and continue to be a big part of the success we have enjoyed. As long as our players keep working hard, our program should be very competitive and successful."
The numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Just ask players, fellow coaches, administrators, alumni and fans alike. It's no secret that Boots restored enthusiasm and confidence in a program that is now one of the most successful operations around.
Under his guidance at USD, Boots has mentored 39 All-NCC selections, including three players who went on to earn All-America honors (2000 - Nate Blessen, Second Team; 2003 & 2004 - Tommie King, Third Team; 2005 & 2006 - Turner Trofholz). In addition, Boots' players have earned 22 Academic All-NCC awards, with Jeremy Kudera earning Academic All-American laurels in 2000. In 2006, Trofholz became the first player in school and NCC history to earn NABC National Player of the Year honors. Prior to his arrival at USD, Boots guided Augsburg College to a pair of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles during a six-year tenure. A native of North Branch, Minn., Boots constructed a 100-56 record at Augsburg, winning conference titles in 1983-84 (19-7, 17-3 league mark) and 1984-85 (21-7, 18-2 league mark).
Boots is a 1979 graduate of Augsburg and earned his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1982. As a senior at Augsburg during the 1978-79 campaign, Boots was named team captain, the team's most valuable player, All-MIAC and All-District 13. He is still the holder of the MIAC single-season free throw percentage record (.971) and Augsburg's career free-throw percentage mark (.881).
After his playing days, Boots served as an assistant coach at Augsburg for two seasons. In 1981-82, he was named head coach at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, where he guided his team to a third-place conference finish (15-7). Boots replaced Rees Johnson as head coach at Augsburg in 1982 and led his first team to an 18-8 record. The next year Boots guided the Auggies to the MIAC title (17-3) and he was named MIAC Coach of the Year. He repeated as MIAC Co-Coach of the Year as Augsburg repeated as conference champions in 1984-85 (18-2), advancing to the NCAA Division III South Regional.
Boots and his wife, Peggy, have two sons, Nathan and Jordan.
