Since arriving in Butte as the head men’s basketball coach in March of 2016, Adam Hiatt has built Montana Tech into one of the premier college basketball programs in the entire country. He has been named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2022-23, 2023-24), was named one of the 100 Most Impactful Head Coaches in Men’s NAIA Basketball by Silver Waves Media, and is the fastest coach to win 150 games in school history. As one of the most successful coaches in the country, Hiatt has amassed 223 career wins and counting.
The 2023-24 season can only be described as historic. Coach Hiatt’s Orediggers became the first program in Frontier Conference history to win three consecutive regular season and tournament championships. In fact, over the previous three seasons, Montana Tech is the only program in the entire NAIA to three-peat. The Diggs finished the Frontier slate with a 14-1 record and a scoring margin of +15.1 points, both conference historic bests. No program in Montana Tech history had three straight 20+ win seasons and conference tournament championships since Kelvin Sampson in 1982-85. Hiatt’s Orediggers finished the regular season ranked #8 in the National Coaches’ Poll (a new school record) and again earned the right to host the first two rounds of the NAIA National Tournament. For the third consecutive season, the Diggers won their opening round game and advanced to at least the round of 32. Concluding the 2023-24 season with a 27-5 overall record and a program-best sixth consecutive winning season, the Orediggers boast one of the best three-year runs in Frontier Conference history (83-17 overall record), reflected by a bevy of postseason awards. Asa Williams was named 1st Team all-conference and 3rd Team all-American. Caleb Bellach earned his 3rd consecutive 1st Team all-conference selection. Michael Ure, coming off all-conference honors a year ago, joined Asa and Caleb on the 1st Team. Hayden Diekhans was named Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year and honorable mention all-conference. Camdyn LaRance was named Frontier Conference 6th Man of the Year.
Following a stellar conference championship run the previous season, Coach Hiatt’s 2022-23 Orediggers doubled down and repeated as Frontier Conference regular season champions (by a record 5-game margin) and, once again, won the Frontier Conference tournament, this time in Great Falls, MT at the Four Seasons Arena, all with four new starters. Montana Tech also set a conference record for most points scored in the championship game with 103. This season marked only the second repeat regular and postseason championships in program history (the first since Kelvin Sampson’s 1985 team). Hiatt’s Orediggers finished the regular season ranked #10 in the National Coaches’ Poll (a school record) and earned the right to host the first two rounds of the NAIA National Tournament. On March 7, 2023, the Orediggers defeated Westmont College (CA) by a score of 83-69 to advance to the second round where they defeated Thomas More University (KY) on March 8th in a thrilling 77-72 OT victory. For the first time in program history, Montana Tech advanced to the final site in Kansas City, MO for the round of 16. In Kansas City, Hiatt’s Orediggers faced off against the #1 seed, William Penn (IA) on March 13, 2023. Once again, the Diggers prevailed in OT to advance to the Final 8. Montana Tech’s run finally ended in the round of 8, but not before setting school records for most wins in a season (29-5 overall record), most consecutive winning seasons (5), and most national tournament wins in program history (3). Caleb Bellach was named Frontier Conference Player of the Year and 1st Team all-American. Asa Williams was named Newcomer of the Year and 2nd team all-conference. Hayden Diekhans and Bridger Larson were both named 1st team all-defense.
The 2021-22 season was one for the record books. Coach Hiatt’s Orediggers set school records for most wins in a season (27-7) and most conference wins in a season (13-2). Additionally, the 2021-22 team received the program’s first ever national ranking, finishing the season ranked #14 in the coaches’ poll. For the first time since 1993, the men’s basketball program won the Frontier Conference regular season championship. On February 28, 2022, Montana Tech advanced the Frontier Conference tournament championship game for the first time since 1999. In a game for the ages, the Orediggers prevailed over Carroll College on the road by a score of 62-61 to sweep the Frontier Conference regular and post season championships. For only the 3rd time in program history, Montana Tech men’s basketball advanced to the NAIA National Tournament, earning a #3 seed in the 64-team bracket. On March 11, 2022, the Orediggers won their first national tournament game in school history by defeating MACU (OK) 71-67, before ultimately bowing out in the 2nd round vs SAGU (TX) in Waxahachie, TX. A program record 4th consecutive winning season was capped off with several postseason awards. Sindou Diallo was named 2nd Team all-American and 1st Team all-conference. Caleb Bellach was named Honorable Mention all-American, 1st Team all-conference, and Frontier Conference Newcomer of the Year. Taylor England was named all-conference for the 4th consecutive season. Derrius Collins was name Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Keeley Bake was named Frontier Conference 6th Man of the Year.
Coach Hiatt’s 2020-21 team tied a school record for most conference wins in a season (12-8) and posted their first top 3 Frontier Conference finish in over two decades. For their efforts, Montana Tech hosted another first round playoff game for the second consecutive year, a milestone that had not been accomplished since the 1990s. The program’s home playoff win vs. Rocky Mountain College on February 25, 2021 was the first home postseason victory since 1999. The 2020-21 season also marked the 3rd consecutive winning season for the Orediggers, a feat that had only happened once before (1982-85). Sindou Diallo was named Honorable Mention all-American and 1st Team all-conference. Taylor England was named 2nd Team all-conference.
Hiatt’s 2019-20 Oredigger basketball team beat the University of Montana in Missoula for the first time since 1945, stunning the perennial Big Sky Conference champion, and securing the first NCAA Division I victory in program history. Not to be outdone, the Diggers also defeated the #3 (LC-State), #8 (Carroll College), and #17 (Providence) ranked NAIA teams in the country. The 2019-20 season also saw several milestones, including the most overall wins, the most conference wins, the first conference winning record, the first time beating every conference opponent, and back-to-back winning seasons in over two decades. Coach Hiatt was named the HoopDirt.com NAIA national coach of the week in February 2020, and was a finalist for national coach of the year. Sindou Diallo was named Honorable Mention all-American, 1st Team all-conference, and Frontier Conference Newcomer of the Year. Taylor England was named Honorable Mention all-American, 1st Team all-conference, and Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Dylan Pannabecker also earned all-conference honors.
On March 23, 2016, Coach Hiatt began the process of building the Montana Tech men’s basketball program into a Frontier Conference and NAIA contender. In his first year at the helm, junior guard Chris O’Neill was named 2nd Team all-conference and Lukas Vining also earned all-conference honors. The 2017-18 Orediggers nearly doubled their overall win share from the previous season and quadrupled their conference win totals, including wins over the #10 (Carroll College) and #19 (LC-State) ranked teams. Chris O’Neill was named Honorable Mention all-American, all-conference, and an NAIA Scholar Athlete. The 2018-19 season was a breakout season. Coach Hiatt’s Orediggers defeated the #23 (Providence) and #7 ranked (Carroll College) teams in the country. On February 27, 2019, the Diggers won their first Frontier Conference postseason game in 20 years by defeating Rocky Mountain College 70-59 on the road. The win secured only the program’s 2nd winning season since the conference expanded in 1999-2000. Taylor England was named Honorable Mention all-American and 2nd Team all-conference. Troy Owens, Jr also earned all-conference honors.
Before Montana Tech, Coach Hiatt was the head coach at former Frontier Conference member Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. While with the Griffins, Hiatt finished third all-time in total victories and third in winning percentage. The Griffins continually finished near the top of the Frontier Conference and were regular NAIA National Tournament participants. Coach Hiatt’s Griffins collected a signature win versus the defending Big Sky Champion University of Northern Colorado in December 2011. Over the course of Hiatt’s coaching tenure at Westminster, the Griffins posted an overall record of 151-68 (.690), won three Frontier Conference regular season championships and two conference tournament championships. Hiatt began his coaching career at the NCAA Division I level at the University of Idaho as an assistant on George Pfeifer’s staff in the WAC.
As a head coach, Hiatt’s programs have produced 28 All-Conference selections, 12 All-Americans, 83 Academic All-Conference performers, and 36 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes.
Originally from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiatt played two seasons at national junior college, Ricks College, where he was a two-time all-conference (Region XVIII) performer. He played his final two seasons at Westminster College, earning NAIA all-American honors both seasons, and led the Griffins to two consecutive Frontier Conference championships, two national tournament appearances, including the first win in the program’s history. In 2003-04, he was the Frontier Conference scoring champion (21.9 ppg). Hiatt holds the all-time career scoring and single season scoring records at Westminster. Over the course of his four-year college career, he scored 2,270 points.
Coach Hiatt has been married to his wife Jenica for nineteen years. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Addelei and Clara, and three sons, Jaxon, Reddic, and Mitchell.
