Loras College Athletics

In March of 2016, Chris Martin became the 23rd head coach in Loras’ history, which dates back to 1909. Martin’s ninth season at Loras will be his 14th as a coach, spending five seasons as an assistant at Elmhurst and one as the head coach of the Bayer Leverkusen Giants in Germany.

In his eighth season at the helm during the 2023-24 season, Martin led the Duhawks to an outstanding regular season record of 24-6, including an 11-5 tally in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. The Duhawks entered the conference's tournament as the league's third seed and found themselves in the A-R-C Tournament Championship against the top-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan after beating Buena Vista and Coe College. Behind two 20-point performances from senior guard Ali Sabet and sophomore big man Jack Haynes, the Purple and Gold downed the Prairie Wolves, 85-76, winning the program's third conference tournament title. With the win, the program punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season and went on to advance to the Round of 32 before falling to the region's top seed, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. 

Martin's 2023-24 squad had four All-A-R-C performers in First Team honoree Ali Sabet, Second Team honoree Tyler Bass, and Honorable Mention honorees Jackson Molstead and Declan Ciurlik. Sabet would later go on to be named Second Team All-District by the NABC, Third Team All-Region by D3hoops.com, and was invited to play in the NABC-Reese's All-Star Game.

The 2022-23 season was another successful one for the Loras basketball team as they finished 17-11 overall and 9-7 in conference play.  In the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament, the Duhawks found their way into to the A-R-C tournament championship after beating Wartburg and top seeded Central before falling short to conference champion Coe.  Martin coached two A-R-C All-Conference performers in First Team honoree Ali Sabet and Second Team honoree Tyler Bass.  Sabet shot 33% from the 3-point arc, 39% from the field, and 86% from the free throw line.  Sabet also averaged 17.4 points per game, scoring 486 points.  Bass shot 38% from the 3-point arc, 48% from the field, and 86% from the free throw line, scoring 388 points on the season.  The Duhawks were first in the conference in average points per game, 3 pointers made shooting 34%, free throws made averaging 75% from the line, and second in rebounds.

Martin leads the winningest NCAA basketball program the state of Iowa has seen in three years and has done so in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. In the 2018-2019 season, Martin led the Duhawks to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history with an overall record of 23-7, 12-4 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. He had four players named to the All-Conference teams, including Ryan DiCanio becoming the first three-time First-Team All-Conference honoree in program history. Fellow All-Conference selection Josh Ruggles and DiCanio were both named D3hoops.com All-Region at the end of the season.

In the 2017-18 season, Loras finished 19-7 overall and 12-4 in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (IIA) for the second consecutive top-two finish. Martin's Duhawks went 11-2 at home and were highlighted as part of ESPN'S SportsCenter Top 10 for their performance against Macalester. Under the direction of Martin, DiCanio became the 14th player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. In total, 10 team record were broken during the 2017-18 season, including six single-game records and four season records.

Martin’s first season at the helm of the Duhawks saw Loras rattle off an 11-game winning streak en route to capturing the program’s first Iowa Conference Championship since the 2006-07 season. On January 10, 2017, Martin was named the HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week for NCAA Division III.

Prior to his move to the Key City, Martin helped take an Elmhurst team that went 14-36 in the two seasons prior to his arrival to a 42-15 record over the last two seasons, which included a No. 2 ranking in the D3hoops.com poll during the 2015-16 season. Martin’s Bluejays finished the season ranked 18th after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For the first time in Elmhurst history, the Bluejays qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. While at Elmhurst, Martin helped coach Kyle Wuest, a two-time D3hoops.com All-Region selection.

As a student-athlete, Martin was an elite player for the Bluejays, closing out his collegiate career as a two-time D3hoops.com All-American. He was the first player in Elmhurst history to earn three CCIW All-Conference First Team honors. Martin finished his Bluejay career with 1,736 points, a mark which ranks second in school history.

After graduating from Elmhurst in 2005 with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and management, Martin spent three seasons playing professional basketball in Luxembourg and Germany. After his final season as a player, Martin accepted the role as head coach of the Bayer Leverkusen Giants and guided his team to the playoffs in his only season.

He completed his graduate program from the University of Southwest in Hobbs, N.M. with a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. He is a member of the Elmhurst Athletics Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame. 

Originally from Eureka, Ill., Martin lives in Dubuque with his wife, Haley, and their three children, Riley, Camden (a.k.a Bubba) and Eli.