Bradley associate head coach Mike Bargen to join IU basketball staff

Bradley associate head coach Mike Bargen will join the IU basketball staff, Inside the Hall has confirmed.

Aaron Ferguson of Indy Star first reported the news.

Bargen’s job title has not been finalized, but he is not expected to be an assistant coach. He spent the last 10 seasons at Bradley working for head coach Brian Wardle, his teammate for two seasons at Marquette.

He also worked with IU assistant Drew Adams for seven seasons at Bradley.

Before his ten seasons at Bradley, Bargen was the head coach at Butler Community College for eight seasons. He compiled a 164-93 record and averaged over 20 wins per season.

Bargen began his coaching career at Creighton, serving as a graduate manager on Dana Altman’s staff. IU coach Darian DeVries was also on staff with the Blue Jays in that time period as an assistant coach.

As of early Friday afternoon, IU has hired three assistant coaches for next season: Adams, Nick Norton and Kenny Johnson.

Here is Bargen’s bio from Bradley:

Bargen has been a key member of a staff that rebuilt the Bradley program from the nation’s youngest team in 2015-16 into MVC Champions in 2019 and 2020. The Braves won their first Valley Tournament title in 31 years to cap the program’s resurgence in 2019 before repeating the feat a year later and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1954 and 1955. Bargen has worked directly with and helped recruit six All-MVC selections and seven All-Freshman honorees during his time on The Hilltop as Bradley has once again reached the top of the Valley.

Bargen joined the Bradley sideline after an eight-year run as head coach at Butler Community College. During his tenure on the El Dorado, Kansas, campus, Bargen was twice named Jayhawk Conference Coach of the Year and led the Grizzlies to a 164-93 (.683) record. He averaged more than 20 wins per season at Butler, highlighted by a 29-4 record during the 2014-15 campaign and an at-large berth into the NJCAA National Tournament.

While climbing to as high as No. 4 in the 2014-15 NJCAA Top 25, Bargen’s final Grizzlies team set school records for the most wins in a regular season (28), conference wins in a season (14), best winning percentage (.879) and consecutive wins (22), while enjoying a perfect 16-0 home record.

In addition to his team success, Bargen helped 21 players move on to NCAA Division I (13) and II (eight) programs. His players earned 15 All-Jayhawk Conference awards and he produced 10 NJCAA All-Region VI honorees, as well as a first-team NJCAA All-American.

Bargen played collegiately from 1995-99 at Marquette, where his career overlapped with current Braves head coach Brian Wardle. A two-year starter for the Golden Eagles, Bargen was the team captain and Most Valuable Player during his senior season in 1998-99, when he led team in rebounds and blocked shots and finished second in scoring.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Marquette in 1999, Bargen received his master’s degree in business administration in 2004 from Creighton University, where he served as a graduate manager on Dana Altman’s Bluejays staff. In the three seasons Bargen spent with the Bluejays, Creighton amassed a 72-23 (.758) record, won the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, claimed two MVC Tournament titles (2002, 2003) and played in two NCAA Tournaments (2002, 2003) with a first-round win against Florida in 2002. During that time, Bargen also had an opportunity to work with a quartet of All-MVC players, including current NBA players Anthony Tolliver (Memphis Grizzlies) and Kyle Korver (Milwaukee Bucks).

Bargen began his tenure at Butler Community College as an assistant coach for three seasons from 2004-07. He was promoted to head coach for the 2007-08 season and by his third year in 2009-10, he led the Grizzlies to their first Jayhawk West Conference championship since 2001. His 2009-10 squad finished with 29 wins and Butler won the Region VI championship for the first time since 1996, qualifying for the NJCAA National Tournament for the fourth time in program history.

Bargen is married to the former Kacy Siemsen and the couple has four children – John, Olivia, Maddox and Blake.

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