Coaching Staff
Casey Weitzel | Assistant Coach
Casey Weitzel enters his second season as assistant men's basketball coach at Midwestern State.
The Mustangs came on strong ending the 2018-19 season winning four their last five games to claim a spot in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament.
Weitzel previously served on Leslie's staff at Azusa Pacific for six seasons from 2012-17 helping guide the Cougars from a transitioning Division II program to back-to-back Pacific West Conference titles and three trips to the NCAA Division II postseason including a West Region title advancing to the Elite Eight in 2015.
Weitzel spent the 2018-19 season as head coach at Pierce College, a junior college in Los Angeles.
Weitzel's experience leading a program combined with his stops at Azusa Pacific (2012-18), Shepherd (W. Va.) (2010-12), West Virginia (2008-10) and Grand Canyon (2005-08) makes him not only a familiar face on a Leslie coaching stuff, but key cog in the process of building a winner at Midwestern State.
Weitzel thrived with Leslie's philosophy of producing well-rounded coaches at Azusa Pacific where he contributed in all areas of coaching including recruiting, scouting, game preparation, strength and conditioning, practice planning, fundraising, video evaluation and on-court coaching.
Weitzel possesses a wealth of coaching experience which includes two years at Shepherd (W. Va.) from 2010-12 which followed a graduate assistantship under Bob Huggins during two highly successful seasons at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers claimed their first Big East conference championship in 2010, then rolled to their first Final Four appearance in 51 years finishing the year ranked No. 3 in the final USA Today Coaches' Poll.
In addition to winning the Big East Tournament championship in 2010, West Virginia was also recognized as the conference's top academic team, claiming the Big East Academic Excellence Award which recognized the highest collective grade-point averages in each conference sport.
In Weitzel's first year at West Virginia, the Mountaineers posted a 23-12 record and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Among the players Weitzel helped coach at West Virginia were Da'Sean Butler, an Associated Press All American, and Devin Ebanks. Both were selected in the 2010 NBA Draft.
While at Shepherd, Weitzel helped the Rams end a streak of three losing seasons and aided in the development of Chad Moore, the program's first All-Atlantic Region selection in more than a decade.
Weitzel started his coaching career at Grand Canyon University. During his three-year run as an assistant from 2005-08, the Antelopes claimed the 2007 Pacific West Conference title advancing to the NCAA D2 West Region semifinals.
Personal
Casey and his wife, Emily, reside in Wichita Falls. The couple are the proud parents to daughter -- Elliette.
Weitzel graduated from Grand Canyon University, receiving his bachelor's degree in 2007 with a major in physical education and a minor in athletic coaching. In 2010, he completed his master's degree in athletic coaching education at West Virginia.
The Weitzel File
Student Assistant Coach at Grand Canyon -- 2005-08
Graduate Assistant at West Virginia -- 2008-10
Assistant Coach at Shepherd (W. Va.) -- 2010-12
Assistant Coach at Azusa Pacific -- 2012-18
Head Coach at LA Pierce College -- 2018-19
Assistant Coach at Midwestern State -- 2019-
Greg Hawkins | Assistant Coach
Greg Hawkins enters his first season as assistant men's basketball coach at Midwestern State.
He arrives in Wichita Falls after serving the previous three seasons in a similar role at Dallas Baptist where he helped guide the Patriots to 70 wins and a .730 winning percentage.
Hawkins contributed in all areas of coaching including recruiting, scouting, game preparation, practice planning, video evaluation, on-court coaching and game promotions.
He also served as the team's academic coordinator in 2019-20 as the team flourished in the classroom accomplishing a program high 3.35 cumulative GPA.
In Hawkins' first season at DBU, the Patriots posted the program's best record at 26-6 going undefeated in the Burg Center in 2017-18. The team claimed both regular season and postseason tournament titles in the Heartland Conference earning the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
Hawkins aided in the development of first-team all-region performer Patrick Burke, who averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 69.5 percent from the field.
DBU extended the longest home court winning streak in NCAA Division II to 37 games in Hawkins' second season in Dallas in 2018-19. The Patriots closed the campaign with a 23-11 mark earning a second consecutive bid to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional as the No. 5 seed.
DBU enjoyed continued success in 2019-20 as the Patriots posted a 21-9 record on the way another NCAA Division II South Central Regional berth as the No. 8 seed. Hawkins again played a key developmental role as DBU produced the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year Carter Brown, a 6-2 guard who averaged two steals per game.
Personal
Greg and his wife, Keri, reside in Wichita Falls. The couple are the proud parents to daughter -- Adeline.
Hawkins graduated from Arizona State, receiving his bachelor's degree in 2005 with a major in criminal justice and criminology. In 2008, he completed a master's degree in education from Northern Arizona, then received a second master's degree in Christian education from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2019.
The Hawkins File
Assistant Coach at Dallas Baptist -- 2017-20
Assistant Coach at Midwestern State -- 2020-
Nick Powell | Assistant Coach
Nick Powell is in his second season as a graduate assistant on the Midwestern State men's basketball coaching staff.
The native of nearby Henrietta served as a student assistant in 2018-19 following the conclusion of his collegiate playing career with the Mustangs.
Powell competed in 80 games and made eight starts with the Mustangs from 2013-18 helping the Mustangs to three NCAA Division II South Central Regional appearances and two Lone Star Conference championships.
The 6-8 forward capped off his career averaging 6.9 points and four rebounds while shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the arc as a senior in 2017-18.