Augustana Men's Basketball Camps
Head Coach

Tom Billeter
Head Coach

Now in his 10th season, Tom Billeter has firmly established Augustana’s men’s basketball program as one of the best in NCAA Division II.

Billeter’s Vikings posted a 17-11 record in 2011-12, tied for fourth place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 14-8 mark, and won seven of their last nine regular season games. During the regular season conference schedule the Vikings earned a split with each of the top three teams.

Under Billeter, the Augustana men have registered six consecutive winning seasons with an overall record of 118-58. And, the Vikings have qualified for the NCAA tournament four of the last five seasons, including 2011-12.

Billeter recruited and coached Cody Schilling, who became the program’s career scoring leader. The 6-foot-5 guard from Ellsworth, Minn., was a four-year starter and in 2012 earned honorable mention distinction on the Division II Bulletin All-America Team.

Schilling scored 1,868 points and averaged 16 points a game during his collegiate career. He was a three-time All-NSIC first team choice and the league’s Freshman of the Year for 2008-09. Twice he was named to the Daktronics All-Central Region first team. He scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Reese's 2012 Division II All-Star Game, helping the West team to a 120-110 victory over the East.

Schilling was also cited by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press on their lists of the top players to compete at the Minnesota state tournament. He averaged nearly 30 points per game over three state tournaments and led Ellsworth to two Class A titles and a runner-up finish. The Panthers won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. He finished his high school career with a then-record 3,428 career points. The Pioneer Press lists Schilling as the eighth-best player in state-tournament history.

Billeter notched his 200th career coaching win in 2009-10 and begins the 2012-13 season with an overall record of 241-165.

In five seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State University, Billeter compiled a 97-50 record. During his tenure the Bison logged four consecutive 20-win seasons and earned four straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. In1994-95 the Bison earned a share of the North Central Conference championship with a 12-6 record. Billeter compiled a 57-33 record against NCC opposition and the Bison were three-time conference runners-up.

Billeter began his coaching career at the University of Arizona, where he worked two seasons (1985-1987) alongside legendary coach Lute Olson. The Wildcats were 23-9 in 1985-86 and won the Pac 10 Conference title. Arizona advanced to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.

During his stint in Arizona, Billeter coached Sean Elliott (NBA), Steve Kerr (NBA), Tom Tolbert (NBA), Jud Buechler (NBA) and Kenny Lofton (MLB). He then moved to Rice, where he served as an assistant coach from 1987 to 1992.  The Owls won 20 games in 1991-92, the first 20-win season since 1953-54. Rice narrowly missed being awarded berths in the NCAA and NIT tournaments. While at Rice, Billeter coached the Owls’ star center, Brent Scott (NBA).

Billeter’s 29 years in coaching includes experience outside the United States. In 1996 he coached Team America, a squad composed of NCAA Division I players ages 22-and-younger. His squad participated in the Turgut Atakol Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.

Following a five-year run at NDSU, Billeter spent the 1997-98 season at St. John’s (N.Y.), where he served under head coach Fran Fraschilla and helped the Red Storm to a 22-10 record. Led by Felipe Lopez (NBA) and Ron Artest (NBA), St. John’s advanced to the NCAA tournament.

Billeter then began a five-year run at Texas A&M under head coach Melvin Watkins. Together they helped the Aggies gain respect in the Big 12 Conference. In 2002-03, the Aggies posted a 14-14 record marking just the second .500 or better season in 14 years. While with the Aggies Billeter had the opportunity to coach prominent players including Bernard King and Antoine Wright (NBA). King is Texas A&M’s career scoring leader and the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the Big 12. Wright was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2002-03.

Billeter earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Illinois in 1983 and his master’s degree in exercise physiology from Arizona in 1987. Tom and his Wife, Paula, are the parents of four children: Mike (Lindsie), Kelsey, Kyle, and Brett.