Spring Arbor Names John Pigatti Head Men’s Basketball Coach

Photo Courtesy: Chicago Tribune

David Rice | JTV Sports

Friday August 14th

(8-14-2026, 3:30PM): After 27 years, Spring Arbor University will have a new Head Men’s Basketball Coach.

John Pigatti has been named the new head coach of the Cougars, replacing Ryan Cottingham after 27 years and 437 career wins including the 2019 NAIA National Championship. SAU also returned to the NAIA national tournament this past season.

(press release via Spring Arbor University):

Spring Arbor University has named John Pigatti, one of the nation’s most accomplished collegiate basketball coaches, as the next head coach of its men’s basketball program, Interim Athletic Director Ryan Marken announced Friday. Pigatti arrives with a national championship résumé and a conviction that matches the university’s mission: using competitive sports to develop student-athletes with depth of faith, strength of character, and skills of leadership for a lifetime of service to Jesus Christ.

Pigatti brings 38 years of collegiate coaching experience to Spring Arbor, including 20 seasons as head coach at South Suburban College. During his tenure, he built one of the premier junior college programs in the country, compiling a 572-111 career record (.837) while leading the Bulldogs to an NJCAA Division II National Championship, a national runner-up finish, and 14 NJCAA Region IV championships.

“Spring Arbor exists to form students whose learning and living flow from a total commitment to Jesus Christ, and few platforms shape young men more powerfully than athletics,” said Spring Arbor University President Dr. Brent Ellis. “In John Pigatti we found a coach whose record speaks for itself and whose deeper ambition is to develop men of faith, character, and service. We are delighted to welcome John and his family to the Spring Arbor community.”

Throughout his career, Pigatti has built a national reputation for excellence on the court and formation beyond it. His teams qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament 14 times and produced 21 All-Americans and six National Players of the Year, while more than 90 percent of his student-athletes went on to earn four-year degrees. That academic record grew out of H.O.O.P.S. – Highly Organized and Outstandingly Prepared Student-Athletes – the development program Pigatti created around structured study halls, weekly academic meetings, and daily accountability, and one he plans to bring to Spring Arbor with an added emphasis: forming players who grow in faith, serve their community, and graduate prepared to lead as Christian men.

“What set John apart was the order of his priorities,” said Corey Ross, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President. “Asked about his first hundred days, he began with people rather than schemes: time with every returning player and personal contact with every family. His goal is to honor Christ, develop young men, and build a championship program, and his record shows he means all three.”

Pigatti’s greatest team achievement came in 2021-22, when South Suburban completed a perfect 33-0 campaign to capture the NJCAA Division II National Championship, the first undefeated national champion in division history. Pigatti was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Two-Year College Coach of the Year following the historic season, and in 2023 he was inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named the next head men’s basketball coach at Spring Arbor University,” Pigatti said. “It is a tremendous privilege to follow Coach Ryan Cottingham, whose faithful leadership and unwavering integrity established a championship tradition and a Christ-centered culture that has made Cougar basketball one of the premier programs in the nation.”

Prior to becoming a head coach, Pigatti spent 17 seasons as an assistant at NCAA institutions including St. Francis (Pa.), Kent State, Akron, Chicago State, Saint Joseph’s (Ind.), Western Michigan, Texas A&M, and Creighton, where he helped recruit nationally recognized talent and contributed to conference championship teams and postseason appearances.

At Spring Arbor, Pigatti said, the standard will be set as much by who his players become as by what they win.

“Our mission will extend far beyond wins and losses,” he said. “We will establish a culture defined by toughness, relentless defense, and unselfish play, and we will develop young men of character who excel academically, grow spiritually, serve others faithfully, and honor Jesus Christ in everything they do. My family and I cannot wait to get to work.”

A 1985 graduate of the University of Dayton, Pigatti earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration before completing a Master of Business Administration at Creighton University in 1993. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two adult children, Ashley and Andrew.

Pigatti begins leading the Cougar men’s basketball program immediately as preparations begin for the upcoming season.