Mike Bargen - Men's Basketball Coach - Indiana University Athletics

Mike Bargen

Title:
Special Assistant to the Head Coach

Mike Bargen was named Special Assistant to the Head Coach for the Hoosiers on April 11, 2025. He brings a decade of Division I coaching experience and an eight-year stint as a head coach at the Junior College level to Indiana.

BEFORE BLOOMINGTON
A native of Lincoln, Neb., Bargen spent the previous 10 seasons as an associate head coach on the sidelines of the Bradley Braves under head coach Brian Wardle. The Braves won 196, one conference regular season championship, and two conference tournament titles in 10 seasons. Bradley played in four postseasons, including the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 in 2019. BU also qualified for the 2020 NCAA Tournament before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bradley’s 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship represented the program’s first in 31 seasons. They would repeat as champions in 2020 and earn the distinction as being the first Braves program since 1954-55 to clinch back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Bargen worked directly with and helped recruit six All-MVC selections and seven All-Freshman honorees during his time on The Hilltop.

He joined the Bradley sideline after an eight-year run as head coach at Butler Community College. During his tenure on the El Dorado, Kan., campus, Bargen was twice named Jayhawk Conference Coach of the Year and led the Grizzlies to a 164-93 (.683) record. He averaged more than 20 wins per season at Butler, highlighted by a 29-4 record during the 2014-15 campaign and an at-large berth into the NJCAA National Tournament.

While climbing to as high as No. 4 in the 2014-15 NJCAA Top 25, Bargen's final Grizzlies team set school records for the most wins in a regular season (28), conference wins in a season (14), best winning percentage (.879), and consecutive wins (22), while enjoying a perfect 16-0 home record.

Bargen began his tenure at Butler Community College as an assistant coach from 2004-07 before being promoted to head coach for the 2007-08 season. In 2009-10, he led the Grizzlies to their first Jayhawk West Conference championship since 2001. His 2009-10 squad finished with 29 wins and Butler won the Region VI championship for the first time since 1996, qualifying for the NJCAA National Tournament for the fourth time in program history.

While at Butler CC, Bargen helped 21 players move on to NCAA Division I (13) and II (8) programs. His players earned 15 All-Jayhawk Conference awards, and he produced 10 NJCAA All-Region VI honorees, as well as a first-team NJCAA All-American.

Prior to his Junior College stint, he where he served as a graduate manager on Dana Altman's Creighton staff, which included Indiana head coach Darian DeVries, from 2001-04. In the three seasons, the Bluejays amassed a 72-23 (.758) record, won the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, claimed two MVC Tournament titles (2002, 2003) and played in two NCAA Tournaments (2002, 2003) with a first-round win against Florida in 2002. During that time, Bargen also had an opportunity to work with a quartet of All-MVC players, including former NBA veterans Anthony Tolliver (Memphis Grizzlies) and Kyle Korver (Milwaukee Bucks).

Bargen played collegiately from 1995-99 at Marquette. A two-year starter for the Golden Eagles, Bargen was a team captain during his senior season. He led team in rebounds and blocks and finished second in scoring. After earning his bachelor's degree in psychology from Marquette in ‘99, Bargen received his master's degree in business administration in ‘04 from Creighton. Bargen is married to the former Kacy Siemsen and the couple has four children – John, Olivia, Maddox and Blake.