Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE MARANATHA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SABERCATS

Borchardt Takes Over

Borchardt Takes Over

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The MBU Athletic Department has announced that Joel Borchardt will assume the role of Sabercats Men's Basketball coach for the 2019-20 season.

Borchardt is handed the reigns from Keith Salscheider, who not only mentored Joel for the position but also holds the highest winning percentage in the five-coach history of the program.

Salscheider coached the team from 2012-2019 and steps away due to the recent birth of his daughter, and to pursue other professional opportunities. 

Salscheider Spotlight

To earn that highest-percentage mark, Salscheider coached Maranatha to 16 wins in three of his last five seasons. That 16-win tally included two seasons of 16-11 (2018-19, 2014-15), a winning percentage that hadn't been achieved since the 1994 season.

Coach Keith and the Sabercats conquered the NCCAA regional championship in 2017-18 and 2018-19, marking the first NCCAA regional titles since the 2003 season.

"Over the last seven years, I've been blessed to be the head men's basketball coach at MBU," Salscheider said. "Due to a variety of factors, the time has come for Joel [Borchardt] to take over the program. I've been mentoring Joel for this opportunity over the last few years and am very proud of him.

"I am very excited for the future of MBU men's basketball, and I'm thankful for the personal and professional growth that MBU has allowed me to achieve and I wish MBU continued success."

In his last national tournament, Salscheider led the team to a 4th-place finish after knocking off the four-time defending national champions, Randall University, who were the #1 seed going into the tournament.

Under Salscheider, the Sabercats hold an above-.500 winning percentage since the 2013-14 season.

Borchardt Begins

Most know Joel Borchardt as a coach, but his tenure as a student-athlete was remarkable.

Borchardt played basketball for Maranatha from 2009-13 and is the program's most-recent NCCAA 1st Team All-American. He had 1,208 career points and 758 rebounds and was captain of the team during his junior and senior years.

Borchardt was named as the Northern Athletics Conference (NCAA DIII) Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and was on the All-NAC selection lists for two of his four seasons.

After his standout playing career, Borchardt returned to Maranatha in 2016, where he has been both an assistant coach and an associate head coach, filling in as head coach when Salscheider was forced to miss a few games during the 2017-18 season.

"I am extremely thankful for the opportunity," Borchardt said. "I have learned a lot about coaching and leadership from the entire coaching staff, and I believe I am ready to step into this position. I'm thankful for Coach Keith and for his dedication these last seven years to make this program successful.

"I hope to continue that success and push our program even further as we all work together to make each other better and glorify God in our efforts."