Butler Community College athletic director Todd Carter announced the hiring of Eric Nitsche as the Grizzly’s next men’s basketball head coach on Tuesday afternoon.
Nitsche (pronounced nitch-ee) is a veteran Jayhawk Conference coach who spent the last 14 seasons as an assistant at KCKCC, Cowley and Hutchinson.
It will be officially announced at a press conference at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 31 at the Grizzly Athletic Hall of Fame which is attached to the Power Plant. The public is welcome to attend.
“I cannot thank Todd Carter, Dr. Kim Krull, the administration and the hiring committee enough for trusting me to lead this great program,” Nitsche said. “It is something my family and I will never forget or take for granted. We are excited to move to El Dorado and immerse ourselves in the community. We will work incredibly hard to deliver a product in the plant, on campus, and in the community that people are excited to support!
Everywhere Nitsche has coached, success has followed. YesLooking forward to the past 10 seasons as Tommy DeSalme’s top assistant at both Cowley and Hutchinson, both programs have had immense success with Nitsche on staff. He helped lead Hutchinson to the NJCAA National Tournament in two of three seasons on staff, in addition to helping Cowley earn two berths, including an appearance in the 2021 NJCAA Tournament Championship game.
“What caught my attention about Eric was the enthusiasm and passion he showed when talking about this opportunity,” Butler athletic director Todd Carter said. “He has proven to be successful on the court and he knows how to win in this conference. I am excited for him and his family to arrive in El Dorado.”
Nitsche has spent his entire 14-year coaching career at KJCCC. Most recently, Nitsche served three seasons at Hutchinson, where he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2023-24 season. The Blue Dragons compiled a 75-28 record with Nitsche on staff, leading the KJCCC in points per game all three seasons. Hutchinson advanced to the second round (2022) and quarterfinals (2024) in the two seasons it qualified for the national tournament. Nitsche mentored an All-American in all three seasons with the Blue Dragons, Angelo Stuart in 2022, Aaron Franklin in 2023 and Kamryn Thomas in 2024.
Prior to Hutchinson, Nitsche was an assistant coach at Cowley for seven seasons. He helped pave the way for one of the most successful basketball streaks in Cowley history, as the Tigers won 133 games in seven seasons. In the last two seasons in Arkansas City, the Tigers qualified for two NJCAA National Tournaments. The 2019-20 team led the country in points per game, averaging 109.8 en route to a Jayhawk East championship, and then received an at-large bid to the national tournament. The following season, Cowley averaged 109.0 points per game, second best in the country, as they went 24-5, were Jayhawk East co-champions and won the Region VI title. That team advanced to the NJCAA championship game before falling 108-99 to Coffeyville. Nitsche mentored a back-to-back All-American at Cowley at Dalen Ridgnal, only the third two-time All-American in the history of the Tiger program.
In April 2020, Nitsche was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Coaches in JUCO Basketball by Silverwaves Media while at Cowley.
His coaching career began at Kansas City Kansas CC as an assistant coach from 2010 to 2013, where the Blue Devils had an overall record of 66-30 during his time in Kansas City.
A native of Mission, Kansas, Nitsche was an all-city basketball and football player at Shawnee Mission North High School, graduating in 2005. He then played his first two years of college basketball at Kansas City Kansas Community College before transferring his last two seasons at Saint Mary’s University. He led his college teams to 20-plus wins in all four years and finished in the top 10 in three-point field goal percentage at both schools.
Nitsche and his wife, Hannah, have three children: Blake (10), Jack (7) and Luke (5).
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