Coe College Men's Basketball

John Payan took over as the Coe College Men's Basketball head coach in the Summer of 2024 after a successful two-year stint as the program's top assistant. A 2018 graduate of Saint Ambrose, Payan was a key figure in helping Coe reach back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2023 and 2024. Payan, who joined Coe after two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Dubuque, has been involved with high-achieving programs throughout his coaching career. In his time with the Spartans, Payan served as the head coach for the Junior Varsity squad and helped lead the varsity program to a 35-6 record including a 28-2 mark in the American Rivers Conference. Payan helped the Spartans defense rank 35th in DIII and 47th in winning percentage in his final year on staff. In Payan's two years with the Kohawks, he has helped lead the program to new heights, reaching the NCAA Division III Tournament in back-to-back seasons as well as the Kohawks' first-ever conference tournament championship in 2022-23. Coe won a share of the regular season American Rivers Conference title and its first NCAA Tournament game in 50 years to cap off another strong season in 2023-24. Payan's first year in charge of the program netted a winning record, posting a 14-12 mark with an 8-8 conference record. The Kohawks were led by Bennett Sherry who was named a third-team all-region performer by d3hoops.com while Cooper Nailor and Cole Hrubes were all-conference honorees.  John Payan's Year-by-Year Overall Conference  Year Won Loss Pct. Won Loss Pct. Place Postseason 2024-25 14 12 .538 8 8 .500 5th  Career 14 12 .538 8 8 .500

Coe College men's basketball head coach John Payan announced the promotion of Mark Lowe in August of 2024, naming Lowe as his top assistant. Lowe served as an assistant for the Kohawks in 2023-24, helping with player development, home game support and practice management. Mark brings nearly 10 years of coaching experience to the staff, serving through the AAU, high school and collegiate ranks in his time.    "We are thrilled to announce Mark's promotion as our lead assistant for our program," said Payan. "Coach Lowe brings robust experience as a collegiate assistant and high-school assistant as well as his highly respected skill-development background. I love Mark's passion and energy, and have always been impressed by his ability to connect with and develop high-character athletes. He will be a great addition to our program and the campus community."   Lowe began AAU coaching in 2015, gaining experience with Iowa Ambush and Iowa Dynasty before a coaching role at Clarke University in 2017. Lowe was the Head Freshman Basketball Coach at Liberty High from 2017-2019 and led the sophomore team from 2019-2021. Most recently, Lowe was the top assistant coach at Iowa Wesleyan University, spearheading the recruiting, scouting, and operational responsibilities for the 2022-23 season.