Wade Hokenson was hired as a Western Illinois men’s basketball assistant coach prior to the 2008-09 season after spending the two previous seasons as the first assistant coach at Bellevue University.
Hokenson assists in recruiting, scouting opponents, player development, on-court coaching, and coordinating and operating camps. He also administers the day-to-to operations of the program, such as coordinating team travel, scheduling practices, compliance and monitoring academic progress.
During the 2013-14 season, the Leathernecks continued to be one of the best defenses in The Summit League and the nation, allowing only 62.7 points per game which ranks ninth in the program's NCAA Division I history. Hokenson and the WIU coaching staff helped guide freshman Garret Covington to a Summit League All-'Newcomer of the Year' award. Covington was also tabbed All-Summit League Second Team after leading the Leathernecks in points (14.6 per game), three-pointers (70), free throws (92), three-point FG% (38.7), free throw % (80.0), and minutes per game (32.9).
The 2012-13 Fighting Leathernecks men's basketball team made history across the board.Western earned a share of the 2012-13 Summit League Regular Season Championship, finished 22-9 overall, recording more wins than any other team in the program's NCAA Division I history, the Leathernecks finished first in the country inpersonal fouls per game (12.6) and second in scoring defense (53.6), and they put together an 11-game winningstreak, the longest streak in the program's history since 1957-58. Western was also able to improve its NCAA RPI from 163 to 137 be seasons end, and make its second consecutive appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. Western's success on the court also helped increase the attendance by a large margin. For example, Western Hall packed 5,089 fans to Western Hall on March 2nd in its game versus South Dakota, which was the most since the 1987 season, and the Leathernecks averaged 2,454 fans per game which is the most since the 1998-99 season. Individually, Terell Parks was tabbed NABC All-District 12 Second Team, The Summit League's'Defensive Player of the Year' and All-Summit League First Team, while Ceola Clark III earned All-Summit League First Team honors and Adam Link was named to the all-newcomer team.
The 2011-12 Leatherneck basketball team made history, and assistant coach Wade Hokenson was a big part of that. The Leathernecks posted their best record in over 10 years, finishing 18-15 overall and 9-9 in Summit League, made an historic run in the conference tournament, downing North Dakota State and top-seeded Oral Roberts before falling to South Dakota State in the championship game, and took part in the program's first-ever NCAA postseason tournament, the College Basketball Invitational, where they fell at Oregon State. The Leathernecks concluded the season ranked in the top-30 of four national categories, including: 11th in personal fouls per game (15.0), 12th in three-point field goal percentage (39.5), 22nd in scoring defense (60.2), and 27th in turnovers per game (11.4).
During the 2010-11 season, the Fighting Leathernecks battled injuries to starters (13 different starting line-ups) but Hokenson helped guide senior Matt Lander to an honorable-mention All-Summit League honor. Lander, who was also named to the Mayan Division All-Tournament Team at 2010 Cancun Challenge, led the Summit League in made free throws (164) and also topped the Fighting Leathernecks in scoring (17.0 ppg), assists (2.7 apg) and minutes played (36.2 mpg). As a team, Western Illinois led the Summit League in scoring defense (64.8 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (42.9%).
In the 2009-10 season, the Leatherneck defense opened 2010 in the NCAA statistical rankings as it held opponents to 58.2 points per game for a No. 22 ranking out of 334 teams (1/4/10). By the week of February 22, Western's defense had reached its highest ranking of the season as it sat at No. 10 for the first time. Western closed out its season with the No. 10 ranking as it held opponents to only 59.6 points per game, leading the Summit League. Ceola Clark was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year at the close of the season, the first time in program history a Western Illinois player earned the yearly honor.
In 2008-09, the Fighting Leathernecks recorded their best conference start since the 1997-98 season. Hokenson worked with Western's highest leading scorer since the 1996-97 season in senior David DuBois, also a Summit League all-conference selection.Academically, Hokenson assisted a team that earned a 3.231 team GPA for the Fall 2008 semester, the best GPA of the men’s basketball team for at least 11 years and a higher GPA then that of the Macomb campus (2.880). The Leathernecks had 10 players on the roster with a 3.0 GPA or better and two players with a perfect 4.0 GPA. DuBois became one of only two league players to earn 2008-09 CoSida/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team honors. In the following season, senior David Nurse became the only Summit League player to earn the 2009-10 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team award as a first-year graduate student.In 2008, Bellevue held a record of 33-4 and entered the NAIA Division II National Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. With the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and championship tournament titles, the team finished the season with a No. 3 ranking in the final NAIA Division II regular-season poll.
After compiling a 32-2 record with both the conference regular-season and tournament titles in his first season at Bellevue, Hokenson saw the team finish the regular season ranked No. 1 in the 2007 NAIA Division II regular-season poll.
In addition to his regular coaching duties, Hokenson also served as the strength and conditioning coach and academic adviser.
Prior to his time at Bellevue, Hokenson spent one season as the graduate assistant coach for the Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team. He was named the head junior varsity coach and strength and conditioning coach, while assisting in directing and coaching the Little Tigers Basketball Clinic and Dakota Wesleyan Boy’s Basketball Team Camp.
Hokenson also gained experience as a camp instructor at the University of Nebraska and the Dan Monson Basketball Shooting Camp in Minnesota.
As a player, Hokenson was a point guard on the University of Minnesota’s basketball team from 2001-04. He was honored as a scholar athlete for the Golden Gophers in each of his seasons there and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team in 2004. He was a member of the 2003 squad that attended the Final Four of the NIT, while the 2001 and 2002 teams advanced to the NIT Second Round.
In December of 2004, Hokenson received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Minnesota and earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Dakota Wesleyan in July of 2007.
Hokenson and his wife, Amanda, reside in Macomb, and have a daughter named Harper, and a son named Jack.
