Western Illinois University Athletics

Bryan Martin enters his first season with the Leatherneck Basketball staff after serving as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2024-25 season. At USC Upstate, Martin coached the 2025 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year, Mister Dean.

Martin had a 12-year run as the head coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, leading the Kohwaks to a 22-6 mark in his final season. In 2023-24, Coe College earned a share of the American Rivers Conference Regular Season Championship, going 13-3 in league play before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and advancing to the Round of 32, closing the season ranked No. 23 in the D3Hoops.com National Poll.
 
The Kohawks trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24 marked the second straight appearance for Coe College after earning the program first trip since 1976 behind a berth in 2022-23. The berth followed the Kohawks first-ever A-R-C Tournament Championship, coming as the team won five straight games in the postseason, including three straight road victories for the title upon entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
 
Martin also led Coe College to its first 20-win season since 2005-06 during the 2021-22 campaign, finishing the year 20-7 overall and 11-5 in the A-R-C. He stands as the winningest coach in Coe College history as his team won 166 games during his 12-season tenure with 19 of his players earning a combined 30 All-Conference honors while also taking home three A-R-C Defensive Player of the Year accolades. His Kohawk teams also excelled in the classroom, earning 11 consecutive National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Excellence Awards.
 
Before joining the Coe College program, Martin spent four seasons as the Associate Head Coach at North Dakota, helping the Fighting Hawks transition to NCAA Division I, serving with the program during its first four years at the D1 level. He helped North Dakota to 60 wins during his four seasons, including leading the program to two of its three winningest seasons since joining the D1 ranks, winning a pair of Great West Conference Championships, and earning consecutive CollegeInsider.com National Tournament bids.
 
Martin joined the Fighting Hawks following a three-season stint as the head coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), accruing 50 wins, including a school-record 22 regular season victories during the 2006-07 campaign, finishing the season with a No. 15 ranking. Before joining NIACC, he had coaching stints at Indian Hills Community College (2002-05), Simpson College (2001-02), and South
Dakota (1999-01). At Indian Hills, Martin was an assistant coach alongside current Leatherneck Head Coach, Chad Boudreau.
 
During his collegiate days, Martin played two seasons at Morningside College.  He helped the Mustangs to the 1995 North Central Region Championship, along with an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.  He was inducted in the Morningside Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.  Martin graduated from Simpson College in 1999.  In his three years in Indianola, the Storm compiled a 60-19 record.  After helping the Storm to the 1998 Iowa Conference Championship, Martin was a team captain his senior year. Martin resides in Macomb with his wife, Angie. The couple has three sons, twins Pearson and Evan, and Kellen.