Emory
 

 
 

Brett Zuver, Head Coach

Brett Zuver became the head basketball coach at Emory in the summer of 1998. Previously, he spent four years in the same position at The Colorado College, an NCAA Division III school like Emory that does not award athletic scholarships.

In 12 seasons as a head coach, Zuver has compiled a 143-156 record. His Emory teams have combined for an 95-105 record in eight seasons.

During the 2005-06 season, Zuver mentored Spiros Ferderigos to First Team All-UAA honors, the fifth time in the past six seasons that an Emory player had brought home first-team recognition. In addition, the '05-06 Eagles sank 193 three-point field goals, second most in school history, while its 264 steals ranked it second on the school's seasonal chart. The team's 7.72 treys per game in overall action topped all UAA teams while it 10.56 steals per game effort paced all conference squads while ranking 28th nationally in Division III.

He coached his 2004-05 team to 15 victories giving the team the third-best winning percentage in school history and the most victories by an Emory team since the 1989-90 season. They placed third in the nation in Division III for three-point field goal percentage (.434) and 43rd in scoring offense (79.7 point per game).

His 2003-04 team placed 27th in the nation in Division III for best free throw percentage (.746). In 2002-03, the Eagles finished 14-11, tying their best record in the last 12 seasons. For four straight weeks, Emory received votes in the D3hoops.com national top-25 poll.

In the 2000-01 season the Eagles finished above .500 for the first time since the 1997-98 season and for only the second time since 1990. It was also the first time since 1990 the team has finished above .500 in the University Athletic Association and its third-place finish in the conference was the highest since 1990.

While at Colorado College, it was the only Division III school in the state of Colorado, so it played a schedule composed primarily of scholarship schools. Among Zuver's coaching highlights at Colorado College were the school's first win ever against an NCAA Division I school, and wins against an NCAA Division II team ranked in the top 20 nationally, the No. 2 ranked NCAA Division III team in the nation
and an NAIA school ranked in the top five nationally.

At the time of Zuver's appointment in 1994, he was the youngest head coach, 24 years, in the country at any NCAA school. His first team had a 10-14 record followed by 14-11, 15-10 and 9-16 records in subsequent seasons. In his last season, Colorado College placed fourth in the nation among Division III schools for team free throw percentage (75.8 percent). One of Zuver's players, Verdel Baskin, finished fifth in the nation in scoring (26.0 points per game) and seventh in assists (7.0 per game).

Zuver is a 1991 graduate of Lake Superior State University (Mich.) where he played basketball. As a senior he was chosen to the all-conference defensive team and the school's Most Improved Player.

After graduation, Zuver spent two seasons as assistant coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University where he helped recruit Gaylon Nickerson, later a first-team NAIA All-American and a first-round selection by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1994 NBA draft. In Zuver's two seasons, Northwestern Oklahoma compiled a 42-18 record, set a school season record with 25 wins, won a conference championship, finished in the top 10 in the national poll and advanced to the round of 16 in the national championship tournament. Zuver received his master's degree in education from Northwestern Oklahoma in 1993.

He then joined Colorado College as an assistant coach before getting his promotion a year later. Zuver is a 1987 graduate of Ionia High School (Mich.) where he was a two-time member of the all-state basketball team and four-time member of the all-conference team. He was selected by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan to play in its all-star game.

Zuver's All-UAA Players

Year Player Team
1998-99 Lewis Satterwhite Second
1998-99 Neil Bhutta    Honorable Mention
1999-2000 Neil Bhutta    Second
1999-2000 David Schaaf    Honorable Mention
2000-2001 David Schaaf     First Team
2000-2001 Seun Abolaji     Second Team
2000-2001 Robert Spivey      Honorable Mention
2001-2002 Karel Gless    Honorable Mention
2002-2003 Chase Fawsett     First Team
2002-2003 Clayton Fuller     Second Team
2002-2003 Seun Abolaji     Honorable Mention
2002-2003 Karel Gless      Honorable Mention
2003-2004 Chase Fawsett        First Team
2003-2004 Clayton Fuller        Second Team
2003-2004 Rashawn Allen        Honorable Mention
2004-2005 Chase Fawsett        First Team
2004-2005 Jeff Hall        Second Team
2004-2005 Rashawn Allen         Second Team
2004-2005 Spiros Ferderigos       Honorable Mention
2005-2006 Spiros Ferderigos       First Team