Nate Schmidt - Men's Basketball Coach

Nate Schmidt

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
schmidtn@iastate.edu
Phone:
515-294-3662

After returning to Iowa State in 2021 as the recruiting and player development coordinator, Nate Schmidt was promoted to assistant coach prior to the 2022-23 season. Schmidt previously spent three seasons at Iowa State under head coaches Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm as a graduate assistant and coordinator of player development from 2014-17.

In his second stint at Iowa State, Schmidt has helped the Cyclones to a 124-53 record and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. In Schmidt’s five years at ISU, the Cyclones are 63-11 in non-conference games. The 63 wins are the sixth-most in the country in that span, while the .851 winning percentage is the fourth-best in the nation. In the regular season, the 56 non-conference wins are the most in the country, while the .903 winning percentage is the second-best in the nation.

In 2025-26, the Cyclones returned to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third time with Schmidt on staff. Iowa State went 29-8 overall and 12-6 in the Big 12, finishing the year ranked No. 8 in the country, tied for the highest final ranking in program history. ISU has been ranked for 52-straight weeks, the fourth-longest streak in the nation and the second-longest streak in school history. The 29 wins are tied for the second-most in program history. The Cyclones started the year 16-0, the best start and longest winning streak in program history.

Joshua Jefferson became the fifth consensus All-American in program history, while also being one of five finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Drafted with the 28^th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, Jefferson was a first round pick. Jefferson earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, while Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. All three were also named to the NABC All-Central District First Team. Momcilovic set the Iowa State single-season record for 3-pointers (136) and 3-point percentage (.487) was named a Top 5 finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Lipsey was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team for the third time. Off the court, Lipsey was named to the Allstate NACDA Winter Good Works Team, while he was named the CSC Men’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year after earning CSC Academic All-American honors for the third-straight year.

The 2024-25 Cyclones finished the year 25-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big 12 with an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa State climbed to as high as No. 2 in the country in the AP Poll, the highest ranking in program history. ISU finished the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25, the 12th time in program history the Cyclones have been ranked in the final poll. Iowa State ended the season in the AP Top 25 for the 32nd-straight week, the seventh-longest streak in the country. The Cyclones ended the season with four Top 25 victories, tied for the 10th-most in program history. Curtis Jones was named an AP All-American, while earning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team honors. Jefferson was named All-Big 12 Second Team and to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert were named to the All-Big 12 Third Team, while Lipsey was also selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.

In 2023-24, the Cyclones won the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones finished with a 29-8 overall record and a 13-5 league record, the second-most wins in school history. The 37 games played are tied for the most in program history. The Cyclones went a perfect 18-0 at Hilton Coliseum, the fifth undefeated year in the building's rich history. Iowa State had seven Top 25 victories on the year, including two wins over Houston when it was ranked No. 1 and No. 2 and a victory over No. 7 Kansas.

The 2022-23 Cyclones finished 19-14 on the year and 9-9 in the Big 12. Iowa State advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the Big 12 Championship semifinals, while also playing in the championship game of the Phil Knight Invitational in November. Iowa State opened the year with a 13-2 record, with the only losses coming to eventual National Champion UConn in the PKI Championship and at Iowa. Over the first 15 games of the year, the Cyclones knocked off No. 1 North Carolina, No. 12 Baylor and No. 17 TCU.

Iowa State led the nation with six wins over AP Top 10 schools. The Cyclones were one of two teams to have eight or more wins against AP Top 25 teams, as Texas (10) and Iowa State (9) led the country. The nine AP Top 25 victories are tied for the most in school history in a season.

In his first stint in Ames, Schmidt helped the Cyclones to a 72-32 record, three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Big 12 Tournament titles. The Cyclones led the league in scoring offense in two of his three seasons with the program.

Schmidt worked closely with a number of Cyclones that reached their NBA dreams. Georges Niang, Abdel Nader and Monté Morris were each selected in the NBA Draft, while Deonte Burton, Nazareth Mitrou-Long and Matt Thomas also reached the game’s top professional league.

In 2014-15, Schmidt’s first season in Ames, the Cyclones finished 25-9 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, won the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship title and beat nine nationally-ranked opponents. The Cyclones had three All-Big 12 performers, including All-American Niang. Jameel McKay was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, the only player to earn that distinction in school history.

The 2015-16 Cyclones advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, finishing 23-12 overall and earning wins against top-ranked Oklahoma and top five foe Kansas. Niang was a consensus All-American and won the Karl Malone Award, given annually to the nation’s top power forward.

In his third season, Schmidt and the Cyclones went 24-11 overall and finished in a tie for second place in the Big 12 at 12-6. The Cyclones earned their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and won the school's second Big 12 Tournament title in Schmidt's first three years at Iowa State.

Iowa State players continued to receive personal accolades as well during the 2016-17 season. Four Cyclones earned all-conference recognition and Morris was named an All-American.

The Cyclones defeated two Top 10 foes during the season, including a win over No. 3 Kansas that snapped the Jayhawks' 51-game win streak at Allen Fieldhouse.

After leaving Iowa State, Schmidt was an assistant coach at Indian Hills Community College for two seasons, before spending the summer of 2019 in Las Vegas training former Cyclone greats Niang, Mitrou-Long and Will Clyburn.

Schmidt then spent the 2019-20 season as video coordinator for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G-League. He followed that with a stint on Otzelberger’s staff at UNLV as the director of player development.

The Ypsilanti, Michigan, native served as a volunteer assistant coach at Romulus High School in Romulus, Michigan, from 2011-14 under current Alabama head coach Nate Oats. Romulus won the 2013 Class A title. He has also spent time as an assistant coach with the All Michigan Basketball Club AAU program.

Schmidt graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he earned a degree in economics in 2014. He was a member of the Big Red basketball team in 2010-11. He earned his master's degree from Iowa State in educational leadership and policies in 2016.

Schmidt, and his wife, Cassidy, reside in Ankeny with their son, Ty.