BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball program has hired former Southeast Missouri State head coach Ty Margenthaler as an assistant coach, head coach Mike Morris announced Thursday.

"We are very fortunate to have someone like Ty with his recruiting and coaching experience joining our staff," Morris said. "Ty will be a good addition to our basketball family"

Margenthaler, who led the Redhawks from 2011-2015, replaces Matt Fitzpatrick, who left the staff to become the head coach at Assumption High School in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa.

During his time at Southeast Missouri, Margenthaler's teams held opponents under 60 points 34 times. Margenthaler rebuilt a program that was coming off of back-to-back 21-loss seasons when he took over.
Under Margenthaler's leadership, the Redhawks steadily improved over his time at the school. During the 2014-15 campaign, Southeast entered Ohio Valley Conference play with a winning record for the first time since 2008.

In 2013-14, Southeast averaged 63.4 points per game, which is over a 10-point per game increase from when Margenthaler took over. It was also a four-point per game increase from the previous season.
In addition to the improved product on the court, Margenthaler led a group of student-athletes that performed well in the classroom. In the 2012-13 academic year, the Redhawks posted a 3.546 cumulative team grade point average, tying for the fifth-highest figure in the nation. In 2013-14, the Redhawks recorded a 3.3 team GPA.

Prior to taking over at Southeast, Margenthaler spent the previous five years as an assistant coach at Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference. He was recruiting coordinator for the Badgers and handled all aspects of the recruitment process, including contacting prospects and arranging visits.

Margenthaler also served as Wisconsin's assistant offensive coordinator and was in charge of post player development. He assisted with scouting opponents, summer camps, practice and game preparation, among many other day-to-day duties within the program. Wisconsin posted a winning record in all five seasons Margenthaler spent in Madison, including two seasons with at least 22 victories. The Badgers also played in the postseason each year, qualifying for the 2010 NCAA Tournament and playing in the WNIT four times.

Before his stint at Wisconsin, Margenthaler was an assistant coach at Bradley from 2000-06, where he developed a pair of centers into All-Missouri Valley Conference players. Dena Williams (2002) and Ashley Chelleen (2003) both landed spots on the Valley's All-Freshman Team. Margenthaler also served as the camp coordinator and assisted with scouting at Bradley.

Margenthaler's playing experience includes two seasons at Indian Hills Community College (1992-94) before joining his father, Jack, at SIUE for his final two collegiate seasons, where he averaged 16 points per game and started every contest. He then coached for two years at SIUE, aiding the Cougars to a 19-9 record and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 1998-99.

He earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education/Kinesiology from SIUE in 1997. He earned all-state basketball honors as a senior at Macomb (Ill.) High School.

After completing his collegiate playing career, Margenthaler coached at Roxana (Ill.) High School from 1997-99, earning Alton Telegraph Coach of the Year honors after leading his team to the South Central Conference title and regional championship.
Margenthaler and his wife, Julie, have two sons, Brice and Nate.