Coach Mac enters his fourth season as head coach at Mayville State with an overall record of 63-26
2024-25 Season: The Comets finished 3rd in the NSAA posting an 18-11 overall record and a 9-6 conference record. McGruder graduated 6 seniors. J.J. White was named First Team All-Conference & the NSAA Defensive Player of the Year. White & London Williams were both named to the NSAA All-Defense Team.
2023-24 Season: The Comets finished with a 20-9 overall record and a 2nd place finish in the NSAA. The Comets also spent seven weeks in the Top 25 polls. The fast-paced offense soared to national recognition, securing top 20 rankings in seven different statistical categories including 5th in assists per game and 6th in field goal percentage.
The on the court success led to some spectacular individual awards including Darren Jones being named Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and 1st team All-Conference, and 3rd team All-American. Tom Gieske was named 1st team All-Conference and Jamison Kramer was Honorable Mention. Along with the on the court accolades, Coach Mac’s team had a 3.4 GPA and 10 Daktronic Academic All-Americans which was 3rd most in all of the NAIA.
Beyond the court, McGruder's emphasis on academics was apparent through the team's remarkable achievements in the classroom. Eight players were awarded Daktronics Academic All-Americans. Boasting a team GPA of 3.56 during the fall semester, and maintaining a commendable 3.49 GPA for the 23-24 season, the team showcased their dedication not only to athletics but also to their education.
2022-23 Season: In McGruder's first year as interim head coach, the Comets went 25-6 overall and 12-2 in NSAA play, winning both the regular season and the NSAA tournament championship. They earned an 11th seed in the National Tournament and faced 6th seeded Peru State in the 1st round.
Under McGruder’s guidance, the Comets were ranked in the top 10 nationally in seven different categories. The high scoring offense was 1st in points per game, 2nd in field goal percentage, 3rd in assists, 4th in net efficiency, 5th in defensive rebounds, 9th in rebounds per game, and 10th in offensive efficiency. McGruder’s defense was also 16th in the nation in steals per game. In his debut game, the Comets broke the school record by scoring 125 points against Trinity Bible. They would later break that record scoring with an impressive 143 points against St. Boniface on December 10th.
During 2022-2023, the Comets on court efforts earned themselves some post season accolades. Tom Gieske was named NSAA Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Conference. Trent Blackshire was elected to the 2nd team and Jamison Kramer picked up Honorable Mention honors. McGruder was Hoopdirt.com week 9 National Coach of the Week (NAIA), NSAA Coach of the year and North Dakota Associated Press Sportscaster and Sportswriters Association (NDAPSSA) Male Coach of The Year.
Brandon McGruder comes to Mayville State University after serving the previous 6 years as Head Assistant Coach for the Central Arizona College men’s basketball program. McGruder’s responsibilities included coordination of recruiting, player development, fundraising, community outreach and academic affairs. Coach “Mac” has helped the Vaqueros reach the ACCAC semi-finals in his first two seasons as an assistant. Last season, the Vaqueros earned their highest seed in the ACCAC tournament since 2015 before falling to the eventual champion, Cochise College. Serving as the recruiting coordinator, he has helped recruit and coach two NJCAA All-Americans, six All-Conference players, six NCAA Division 1 signees, four NCAA Division 2 signees and numerous others to go on and play at four year Universities. Along with the on the court success, McGruder has also had 3 NJCAA Academic All-Americans during his tenure.
Before coming to Central Arizona College, McGruder spent two years as the Assistant Coach at Peru State College under Head Coach Eric Behrens. The Bobcats won a share of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) regular season title and qualified for the Buffalo Funds National Tournament for the first time since 1997. McGruder served as Recruiting Coordinator for the Cats and coached four All-Conference players, Conference Newcomer of the Year, HAAC Player of the Year and two All-Americans during his stint. Four of those players went on to play professionally in Germany, Belgium, Belize, Iraq and Bolivia.
Prior to Peru State, McGruder spent one season as an Assistant Coach at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona.
Prior to his coaching, McGruder played collegiately at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. There, he led the Lopes in 3 pointers made while averaging 13.4 points per game in Pac-West play. Before GCU, Brandon played at Iowa Western Community College and Southeast Community College. At Iowa Western, Brandon led the conference in three-point percentage and helped guide them to a 25-5 record and a 13th place finish nationally. In his one year at Southeast, Brandon was voted first team All-Conference and led the Storm in scoring at 19.1 points per game.
McGruder is originally from Omaha, Nebraska and prepped at Omaha Bryan High School under Coach Tim Cannon. At Bryan, McGruder was a two time All-Metro and All-State selection. McGruder was also a McDonald’s All-American nominee. McGruder earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Psychology and Journalism from Peru State College.
