Cornell College Men's Basketball

Dave Schlabaugh (pronounced SLAW-baugh) took over Cornell’s men’s basketball program in May 2017, becoming the 17th head coach in the program’s 114-year history.   Schlabaugh has built the Rams into a championship contender, reaching the title game of the Midwest Conference Tournament in back-to-back seasons (2022-23, 2021-22) and compiling a 24-8 MWC regular-season record during that two-year span.  Schlabaugh's record-setting 2021-22 Rams won the MWC Tournament championship - the program's first MWC crown since 1994 - and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years. The team finished 19-9 overall, marking the second-most wins by a Cornell squad. The Rams were runner-up in the MWC regular season with a 12-4 mark, the most wins in conference play since 1969-70.   Schlabaugh led Cornell to a breakthrough 2019-20 campaign in which the Rams qualified for the MWC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, after being picked eighth in the MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The team's 14-12 final record was the program's first winning season in 10 years.  Schlabaugh was the lead assistant on Cornell’s staff during the 2016-17 season, helping guide the Rams to a third-place finish in the MWC and the program’s first postseason berth since 2009-10. Schlabaugh carries more than 35 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels in the Hawkeye State. He has been a lead instructor for Snow Valley Basketball School since 1999 and is actively involved with USA Basketball. A 1992 graduate of Morningside College, Schlabaugh had a successful seven-year stint as head boys coach at Williamsburg High School from 2008-15. He compiled an overall record of 106-60, which included a 24-3 mark during his final campaign when the Raiders placed fourth in the Class 3A State Tournament. Schlabaugh guided Williamsburg to WaMaC Conference championships in 2014-15 and 2010-11, while earning league Coach of the Year honors both seasons. He was named 2015 Class 3A District Coach of the Year by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA). Schlabaugh’s coaching career began as boys’ assistant at Mid-Prairie High School (1984-88) under legendary Hall of Fame Coach Don Showalter. He then made stops as an assistant at Iowa Lakes Community College (1988-90), Morningside College (1990-96) and Mid-Prairie (2003-08) before taking the head job at Williamsburg. At Morningside, he was part of the 1995 team that advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division II Tournament. While at Mid-Prairie, he was voted IBCA Class 2A Assistant Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007. His 2006-07 Mid-Prairie squad finished runner-up in the state tournament. Schlabaugh, a Mid-Prairie High School graduate, earned his associate’s degree in education from Iowa Lakes Community College and received his bachelor’s in physical education from Morningside. Schlabaugh resides in Mount Vernon with his wife Julie. They have four grown children: Lindsay, Zach, Carly and Gabe.

Schlabaugh has been on Cornell’s men’s basketball staff since 2019, and was elevated to head assistant coach in Summer 2023.   Schlabaugh has also served as Cornell’s game day operations coordinator since Fall 2022.   Schlabaugh played four seasons at Coe and was voted team captain for the 2018-19 campaign. He earned academic all-conference honors and was a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honor Council.   Schlabaugh earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and sports management from Coe in 2019. He was a member of Coe’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and served as liaison for the community engagement office and athletics department.   Schlabaugh has been involved with Snow Valley Basketball Camps since 2016, holding roles as administrator, coach and lead clinician. He was assistant men’s basketball coach at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in 2020-21.