Michael Rejniak is a Senior Recruiting Specialist at NCSA, the GM/Head Coach of the “We Are D3” team in the TBT tournament, and a former college coach. Rejniak began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at The College of New Jersey from 2004-2006. His next stop was an assistant coach at Plymouth State for one season before he joined Hall of Fame Coach Dave Hixon as an assistant at Amherst for four seasons from 2007-2011.

Coach Rej got his first opportunity as a head coach at Suny New Paltz where his teams recorded the most conference wins (9) since 1999 during the 2013 and 2015 seasons and he coached 5 All-Conference student-athletes and 4 1,000 pt scorers. Off the court, his teams equally performed well in the classroom, receiving the NABC Academic Team Excellence Award (cumulative team GPA of 3.0) his final 3 seasons. Following his six-year run at Suny New Paltz, Michael served as an assistant coach at Vassar College under BJ Dunne for one season before joining NCSA.

Coach Rej has been the GM and Head Coach of the We are D3 TBT Team since 2018. The team competes annually in the TBT and is comprised of all former Division 3 All-Americans who are currently playing professionally.

On this episode Mike and Coach Rej discuss the evolving landscape of college basketball recruitment and the challenges faced by Division 3 athletes. Rejniak emphasizes the importance of understanding the recruiting process early and how it has shifted from high school to AAU tournaments, affecting athletes’ visibility to college coaches. He discusses his journey from coaching at various levels to advocating for Division 3 players, highlighting the need for quality instruction and the unique skills that set successful players apart. Michael also reflects on the dynamics of coaching his own children and the balance between being a parent and a coach. The conversation delves into the significance of mental resilience in athletes, the impact of NIL on college sports, and the ongoing mission to elevate the visibility of Division 3 basketball.

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Take some notes as you listen to this episode with Michale Rejniak, Senior Recruiting Specialist at NCSA, the GM/Head Coach of the “We Are D3” team in the TBT tournament, and a former college coach.

Website - https://www.ncsasports.org/ncsa-staff/michael-rejniak

Email - [email protected]

Twitter/X - @Coachrej

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