Marian Hires Steve Drabyn as Men's Basketball Head Coach

INDIANAPOLIS - On Thursday, April 9, the Marian University Department of Athletics officially named its 11th head coach in Marian men's basketball program history, naming Steve Drabyn as the new face to lead the Knights. An Indiana native, Drabyn takes over the Marian's men's basketball program after serving in the same role the previous seven seasons at Bethel University. 

Steve Drabyn is a veteran collegiate basketball coach with nearly two decades of experience across the NAIA and NCAA Division I levels, bringing a proven track record of program leadership, player development, and sustained success to Marian University.

"I am extremely grateful to become the next Head Men's Basketball Coach at Marian University," said Drabyn. "This is a great opportunity for me personally and professionally. I want to thank Dr. Elsener, Steve Downing, Mark Henninger, and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to lead this program. My staff and I will work very hard to build a program that this athletic department, school, and Marian community can be proud of. I can't wait to get started. Go Knights!"

Drabyn comes to Marian after spending the last seven seasons as the head men's basketball coach at Bethel University (Ind.), where he led the program from 2019 to 2026. During his tenure, he compiled a 148-82 overall record (.643 winning percentage) and posted a 69-56 mark in Crossroads League play. His leadership guided the Pilots to five NAIA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a run to the NAIA Quarterfinals in 2020-21 during his second season. In 2022-23, Bethel captured the NCCAA National Championship, further cementing the program's success under his direction. The 2024-25 season saw another strong conference showing, as Bethel went 14-4 in league play and finished second in the regular season standings, his best coaching record in league play. 

The Pilots were 26-9 this past season, marking the most wins in a season in Drabyn's head coaching tenure. Bethel finished in the top-four in the Crossroads League with a 12-6 mark, and reached the NAIA Tournament Second Round. 

"I am excited to have Steve Drabyn serve as our next head coach of our men's basketball program," said Director of Athletics Steve Downing. "He is a proven winner and knows what it takes to win in the Crossroads League. His talents and leadership skills are something our program requires, and I have no doubt he will get our program back on track and in contention in the league."

Prior to his time at Bethel, Drabyn gained extensive NCAA Division I experience with assistant coaching stops at Lipscomb University and Stetson University, combining for eight seasons at the two schools. At both institutions, he contributed across all areas of the program, including recruiting, scouting, practice planning, academic oversight, and game day operations, helping shape his comprehensive approach to coaching.

Drabyn spent six seasons at Libscomb from 2013-19, and two seasons at Stetson University, from 2011-13. While an assistant at Lipscomb, Drabyn oversaw CARA logs scheduling, perimeter player development, recruiting evaluations and visits, and player responsibilities on campus. He also played a key role in helping the Bison to a 29-8 record in his final season at Libscomb, and were NIT Runner-Ups in the 2018-19 season after winning the Atlantic-Sun (ASun) Regular Season Championship. 

His coaching career began at Lees-McRae College before returning to Indiana as a teacher and assistant coach at Carmel High School. His background in education continues to influence his coaching philosophy, emphasizing the development of student-athletes both on and off the court. Drabyn spent three seasons with the Carmel Greyhounds, including his final season as an assistant for former Marian head coach Scott Heady. 

A graduate of Belmont University with a degree in physical education and a minor in business administration, Drabyn also holds a graduate degree in education from the University of Indianapolis. Drabyn was a two-time Belmont co-captain, scoring over 1200 career points with an average of 11.7 per game in his collegiate playing career, earning ASun Second Team All-Conference honors as a senior in 2004. He was awarded the Belmont WC Griffith Outstanding Physical Education Award and was a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree in the ASun. In 2003, he led the NCAA nationally in free-throw percentage at 95.1%, which at the time was the second-best mark in DI history. He was inducted into the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Drabyn hails from LaPorte, Indiana, and was a 2000 Indiana High School Senior All-Star for the Slicers and broke the national career free-throw percentage record with a mark of 92.1%. He is the son of long-time Indiana High School head coach Steve Drabyn Sr., and his sister, Kristin Wodrich, has recently been an assistant for the Butler women's basketball program after serving as the head coach of the University of Indianapolis for four seasons. 

Drabyn will officially begin duties as the head coach on April 20. A media availability session will be held during that week. 

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.