Kalamazoo College Men's Basketball

Nick Giard was introduced as Kalamazoo College's head men's basketball coach on September 17, 2019. Giard is the 15th head coach in the 113-year history of the program. Career at Kalamazoo College In 2023-24, led Kalamazoo to its most wins (10) since 2013-14 In 2024-25, led Kalamazoo to 10 wins for the second consecutive season, the first time accomplished since 2002-03 Coaching History Giard came to Kalamazoo College from Williams College where he was an assistant coach for two seasons. Before Williams, Giard gained experience at two NCAA Division I institutions. He was a graduate assistant at the University of South Florida from 2013-15 and director of basketball operations at Southern Illinois Edwardsville from 2015-17. "I am so grateful and excited to join the Kalamazoo College athletic department and the Kalamazoo community," Giard said at the time of his hire. "It's an honor and a privilege to join an institution with a rich tradition of excellence in liberal arts education and a commitment to athletics in my home state of Michigan. It's clear that Kalamazoo is a special place with special people. I cannot wait to meet our alumni and begin working with our team." During Giard's time at Williams, the Ephs compiled a 46-13 record, were ranked in the top-five in the country 15 times and made back-to-back NCAA III Tournament appearances. Williams won the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) championship in 2018, the program's first title since 2010, and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2019. The Ephs' 2019 defense ranked second in the nation in opponent field goal percentage (37.5) while the team ranked eighth nationally in scoring margin (+15.9) with the fourth-toughest strength of schedule. While at Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Giard organized team travel, social media, community service, camps, video, and recruiting visits while assisting in the monitoring of student-athlete academic progress. At South Florida, he aided in daily practices, recruiting, and film evaluation and scouting. College Experience / Playing Career A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., Giard graduated from Michigan State University in 2013 with a degree in general management from the Eli Broad College of Business. He was a walk-on player for the Spartans and Coach Tom Izzo, playing in five games on a team that reached the 2010-11 NCAA Tournament. Giard earned a master's degree in physical education from the University of South Florida in 2015.  

Matt Covault joined the Kalamazoo College coaching staff in October of 2019. Coach Covault came to Kalamazoo College with 24 years of experience at various levels. Prior to joining the Hornets Covault served as the head boys basketball coach at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. During his 14 year career at Loy Norrix, Coach Covault accumulated the most wins in school history (159), won two district championships (2013, 2015), two SMAC conference championships (2008, 2012), and helped 21 players go on to play in college at the NAIA, junior college and NCAA Division I, II, and III levels. Coach Covault was recognized by the Associated Press in 2008 as an honorable mention Class A coach of the year candidate and won SMAC (Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference) coach of the year honors in 2009. In 2010 and 2014 his teams were recognized by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) for outstanding sportsmanship and his 2015 team was recognized by BCAM as an Academic All-State honorable mention award winner. Coach Covault worked diligently during his time at Loy Norrix to give back to the Kalamazoo community by having his teams participate in multiple community service projects each season, such as the Kalamazoo County canned food drive, events at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, hosting an annual Coaches vs. Cancer game which benefitted the Kalamazoo chapter of the American Cancer Society, yearly basketball clinics at local elementary schools, having his players mentor as well as tutor elementary students in reading, participating in the TJ Duckett Foundation Thanksgiving food drive, and most recently, hosting an annual military appreciation game which provided financial support for the Kalamazoo County Veterans Service Office. Coach Covault graduated from Western Michigan University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in education. He is currently a middle school science teacher for the Kalamazoo Public Schools. Coach Covault resides in Kalamazoo with his wife Kristin, daughter Kanley, son Myles, and yellow lab Giannis.

Jaleel Williams joined the Kalamazoo College coaching staff during the summer of 2025. A Kalamazoo native, Williams graduated from Portage Northern High School before graduating from Hope College with a degree in physical and health education in 2025. Williams played basketball for the Flying Dutchmen for two years before transitioning to a student assistant role where he helped lead the team to two MIAA Tournament championships. He was recognized with the Dorothy and Russell Sidentop Award and the Hope Cllege Men's Basketball "Assist" Award for his contributions to the program. In addition, Williams coached the Grand Rapids Storm and has been a player development coach with JWill Hoops in Kalamazoo.