Prior to joining the Cyclone family, Sundvold spent four years as head coach at UMKC (1996-2000), where he logged a 43-70 mark.  In his final year at UMKC, Sundvold led the Kangaroos to their first winning season since 1992-93 by posting a 16-13 record.  That year's squad finished tied for second in the Mid-Continent Conference with a 10-6 record, the program's best showing since joining the league in 1994-95.  During his tenure in Kansas City, Sundvold recruited and mentored MCC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Michael Jackson.

Prior to his stint at UMKC, Sundvold had a successful four-year run (1992-96) at Division II Central Missouri State. He led the Mules to an 82-38 record, including three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances in his final three seasons.  His 1994-95 CMSU squad posted a 24-8 mark and won the South Central Regional Championship, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.  

Sundvold proved to be one of the top assistant coaches in the nation before landing his first head coaching job at CMSU.  He received his first big coaching break as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri in 1978. From 1978-91, Sundvold helped legendary MU coach Norm Stewart to unprecedented success.  Nine NCAA Tournament appearances, six Big Eight Championships, four Big Eight Tournament Championships and over 286 wins were just a few of the achievements the Tigers accomplished throughout Sundvold's tenure at MU.  Sundvold made one more assistant coaching stop in 1991-92, joining Charlie Spoonhour's staff at Southwest Missouri State.  The Bears went 23-8 and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in his only season in Springfield, Mo.  

Sundvold graduated from South Dakota State in 1977, where he was an all-North Central Conference and academic all-conference selection as a senior.  In his two-year career, he played in 49 games, averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds.  He earned an associate of arts degree from Platte (Neb.) Community College in 1975 and received his master's degree from
Missouri in 1979.  

The 48-year-old Sundvold and his wife, Denise, have four children, Robert (17), Ryne (15), Haley (14) and Cameron (11).  His younger brother, Jon, played on four Big Eight Championship teams while Sundvold was an assistant at Missouri.  Jon later went on to play eight seasons in the NBA and is one of the top college basketball television analysts in the nation.

 
Coach Mike Nicholson

Coach "Nick" was widely recognized as one of the finest assistant coaches in Division II basketball while he worked at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.  His input in recruiting, player and team development, and game strategy helped Head Coach Tom Smith keep Missouri Western among the top programs in the country.  After joining the MWSU staff in 1997, the Griffons won 157 games, including five MIAA Championships and four appearances in the NCAA tournament.  Coach Nick helped in the development of 2 All-Americans, 2 Conference MVPs, and 11 All Conference Players.

Before his time at Western, Coach Nick spent six years as an assistant at UMKC.  Under the tutelage of both Lee Hunt and Bob Sundvold, Coach Nicholson developed a philosophy and understanding of what makes for a successful player and program at the Division I level.  Coach Nicholson was a member of the staff that led the Kangaroos to the most wins in Division I history and he also played a role in the development of Tony Dumas, drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1995 NBA Draft.

Nicholson played one season of college basketball at Nebraska Wesleyan University before transferring to the University of Missouri where he received his degree in Business Administration in 1990.  Nicholson completed his Master's Degree in Educational Administration from UMKC in 1994.

Mike and wife Lisa reside in Platte City.  They are the proud parents of two boys, Jake (6) and Joe (2).

This page was last updated 01/14/07