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Des Moines Register Article NWMSU WBB Hires Iowa Hall Of Famer Chris Guess

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  • Des Moines Register Article NWMSU WBB Hires Iowa Hall Of Famer Chris Guess

    Iowa hall of fame basketball coach Chris Guess headed to Northwest Missouri State


    Alyssa Hertel

    Des Moines Register

    During his 32-year career as a high school basketball coach, Chris Guess has taken several teams to the state tournament. Fifteen, to be exact.

    But the Waukee Northwest coach and former leading man at Centerville, Glenwood, Ottumwa and Waukee remembers one trip more than most. And that memory does not revolve around either of his two state championships with the Warriors.

    “In my first season at Ottumwa, we qualified for the state tournament,” Guess told the Des Moines Register. “Sunday, the night before we were to play in the state tournament, a massive, record-setting blizzard hit.”



    Guess recalls the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Association contacting teams and suggesting they come into Des Moines for the 1998 tournament earlier due to the weather conditions. But the Ottumwa girls basketball team stuck to their original plan.

    Through snow drifts nearly as high as the charter bus they were traveling in, Guess and his team made the hour-and-a-half drive northwest from Ottumwa to Des Moines.

    “We had a snow plow escort, we had a police escort, and it was quite the experience,” Guess said. “That was a very special moment because it’s the first time they’ve been to state in a while.”

    There is another part of that state tournament trip that Guess remembers as well: Ottumwa lost that first game in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The loss didn’t matter as much to Guess, because it was never just about winning.




    Guess, who never made it to state as a player, wanted to ensure that as many of his players as possible had the opportunity to play in the tournament.

    So, while winning wasn’t everything, it did help his players at least get to, first the Veteran Memorial Auditorium, and then Wells Fargo Arena. But Guess won’t have the opportunity to add any more high school wins or state tournament appearances to his resume.

    The Waukee Northwest coach is headed to the college level after over three decades as a leader in Iowa high school sports.



    Guess makes the late leap to college athletics

    Guess, who teaches marketing and sports marketing at Waukee Northwest, will join Austin Meyer’s staff as an assistant coach for Northwest Missouri State’s women’s basketball team, a Division II program, in May after he fulfills his teaching contract.

    He is 57 years old.

    In fact, his birthday was the Sunday before Northwest Missouri State announced his hiring.

    For some people, that would be too late in life to move from high school coaching to college. But for Guess, all the stars aligned at just the right time.

    “A goal of mine has always been to get the opportunity to coach at the college level,” Guess said. “My entire coaching career, I’ve been taking teams down to Northwest Missouri State camps, and I have a great relationship with the university.

    “That was always kind of a dream, to get the opportunity to coach there. When that opportunity came up, the timing was just right, because I can also retire this year from teaching. it was a perfect fit.”

    Guess goes down as one of the greatest Iowa high school basketball coaches

    Based on statistics alone, it’s no surprise that Guess is heading to the next level.

    He steps away from his Iowa high school coaching career with an overall record of 489-219, just 11 wins away from the 500 mark. Guess won two state titles at Waukee and led his teams to 15 total state tournament appearances.

    Guess was inducted into the Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. He was also a finalist for the National Coach of the Year in 2022 and a nominee in 2015. He won Class 5A State Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2021.

    He has also sent multiple players to Division I basketball teams, like Katie Dinnebier to Drake and Carlie Littlefield first to Princeton then to North Carolina. Those college coaches have nothing but good things to say about Guess.

    “What a slam dunk of a hire,” Courtney Banghart, UNC women’s basketball coach, said in a statement about Guess’ hiring. “Chris is a brilliant basketball mind, a tireless worker, an authentic leader of young people and more importantly he is one of the best humans I’ve come to know in the business of women’s basketball and beyond.”

    Guess gives credit where it’s due

    Between the testimonials of college coaches and his laundry list of awards and accomplishments, there is no denying that Guess made an impact during his tenure as a high school coach in Iowa.

    “There are so many people that sacrifice for my success,” Guess said. “We’re not talking if I didn’t have great players, and we’re not talking if I didn’t have great assistant coaches. I happen to get the awards, but this was a total team effort.”

    But he is quick to acknowledge that he wasn’t alone in his success, and wouldn’t have it without the people he was surrounded by.

    “For me, it was (Jim) Duea, our athletic director,” Guess said. “It gets overlooked sometimes, but having somebody like that was invaluable to our success. When you have the three components of the kids, the parents and the athletic director come together, it’s a very special place.”



    And there is one person in particular that Guess would be remiss to not mention: His wife and assistant coach, Sheri Guess.

    Chris Guess emphasized that she was nothing but supportive of him pursuing the Northwest Missouri State position and that she helped him compile some of the materials for his application. He credits her because, according to Guess, none of this would have happened without his wife.

    “Even though she’s listed as an assistant coach, she doesn’t get credit for all the stuff that she does,” Guess said. “Having your spouse, being an assistant coach, it’s 24/7 and it is always basketball.”

    Guess looks forward to his new role at Northwest Missouri State

    The long-time head coach knows that there will be an adjustment when he moves to an assistant coaching position.

    But as someone who values the relationships he’s made more than the winning record he’s accumulated, Guess likes the thought of taking on more of a recruiting role – which will keep him connected to the high school game that has been his life for over 30 years.

    “It’s sad to leave but I just love Northwest Missouri State, and I think it’s an incredible place to get a chance to do this. So, I’m really looking forward to it.”

    Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.


  • #2
    He should be a great addition to Austin’s staff

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