On the Court
Twice named a Division III National Coach of the Year – in 2013 by Basketball Times, and in 2016 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and by D3 News – Tauer also has received five West Region and five MIAC Coach of the Year Awards (2013,2015,2016,2019,2020). Among Division III men’s coaches, he was the second fastest in history to 100 victories, the second fastest to 200 victories, and is believed to have won more games in his first five seasons than any coach in Division III history.
Under Tauer’s guidance, the Tommies made an historic jump from Division 3 to Division 1 in 2021 and now compete in the Summit League for men’s basketball. This is the first time in NCAA history that an institution has gone directly from Division 3 to Division 1. In St. Thomas’ inaugural Division 1 season, they were one of the top 3-point shooting teams in Division 1 and led the country in Fewest Turnovers at a remarkable 8.1 Per Game.
In 10 seasons competing in Division 3, Tauer’s teams had a 218-50 overall mark (81-percent win clip), the highest winning percentage among all active Division 3 coaches, and a winning percentage among the top 5 out of 1,000+ NCAA coaches. He was the first MIAC coach to sweep conference and playoff championships in each of his first two seasons as head coach. He’s also the lone conference individual – and one of a small number of coaches nationally – to have played in, been an assistant coach, and been a head coach in the Division III Final Four. In addition, he was the first MIAC coach to win regular-season titles in each of his first six seasons. During Tauer’s 25 years playing and coaching at St. Thomas in the MIAC, UST had an overall MIAC record of 406-78 (83%), with 19 MIAC titles and 18 NCAA appearances. St. Thomas won an unprecedented 14 of 15 MIAC titles in the last 15 years they competed for the MIAC title, made 14 NCAA appearances in 15 years, made 6 Sweet 16 appearances, and had an overall record of 364-73 (83%) and an MIAC record of 260-40 (87%). St. Thomas is consistently among the nation’s leaders in FG%, 3-point FG%, and assist-turnover ratio. St. Thomas finished the season ranked in the top 5 in the country 6 times in the last 13 years of the Division 3 era (#3 in 2009, #1 in 2011, #4 in 2013, #1 in 2016, #4 in 2020, and #2 in 2021).
In 2011, UST defeated four consecutive opponents ranked in the top 7 in the country on the way to the D-3 National Championship. In 2012-13 UST was ranked #1 in the country, advanced to the Final Four, and led the nation (400+ teams) in FG%, wins, and winning percentage, and was 2nd in the nation in assist-turnover ratio and 3-pt FG%. In 2016, UST defeated the #1, #2, and #4 teams consecutively on its way to the championship. In 2019, UST led the nation in fewest turnovers and was 2nd nationally in assist-turnover ratio, advancing to the Sweet 16 after defeating the #1 team in the nation. Tauer was inducted into the University of St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. As a player, Tauer was an Honorable Mention All-American and GTE Academic All-American. He helped lead St. Thomas to the Final Four in 1993–94 and a school record 27 straight victories in 1994-95. He scored over 1,000 points and previously held the record at UST for 3-point field goals. Member of Cretin-Derham Hall State Championship teams in basketball and baseball, and named All-State, All-Metro, and Academic All-State in both sports. This is Tauer’s 27th year of directing his own camps. He has worked with several thousand youth players, many who have gone on to success at the high school and college level.
Off the Court
Tauer earned a PhD in social psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the top graduate programs in the country. Tauer conducts research on sport psychology, motivation, competition, cooperation, and goal-setting that has been published in top academic journals such as the Journal of Educational Psychology, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and he has published a book on youth sports, motivation, and parents. Tauer is one of the only head basketball coaches in the nation with a Ph.D. in psychology. His coaching philosophy, teaching experience, program’s success, and commitment to developing basketball players around the state of Minnesota helps make our camps a unique spot for campers to learn and grow in their love of basketball!