Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Mark Miller, Wishoops.net Editor





Its been called the toughest coaching job in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for as long as anybody can remember.





And with good reason.





UW-Superior hasnt won a conference championship in mens basketball since 1941, when the Yellowjackets shared the crown with UW-Milwaukee.





The schools location -- Superior is miles and miles away from the states basketball hotbeds of Milwaukee, Madison and the Fox Valley -- has certainly played a huge role in the Yellowjackets plight.





So, too, has the success of the marquee programs in the league.





Stevens Point, Platteville, Whitewater, Eau Claire and Oshkosh have loaded up with the top NCAA Division III talent the state has to offer over the past several decades, leaving schools like Superior on the outside looking in.





Dave Buchanan hopes to change all that, and sooner rather than later.





The 34-year-old Watertown native was named the Yellowjackets new coach this week, and the former UW-Parkside assistant coach is eagerly looking forward to changing the image of Superior basketball.





"People dont identify Superior with basketball, but we will work hard to make sure that happens," Buchanan said. "Part of the intrigue with this job is the challenge that it presents. Some people dont like challenges this big, but I like to take on challenges. I look forward to meeting the challenge this position presents head on."





Buchanan spent the previous three years as the No. 1 assistant coach under Luke Reigel at Parkside, helping the Rangers go from pushovers to contenders in the nations best NCAA Division II conference -- the Great Lakes Valley Conference.





Buchanan inherits a program that went 0-16 in the WIAC and 5-20 overall last season under interim coach Bill Chambliss.





Chambliss was hired last fall to replace Jeff Kaminsky, who left Superior to become the head coach at Valley City State College in Valley City, North Dakota. Kaminsky spent 10 seasons in Superior and his teams were often competitive, though they failed to win a league title and went just 118-163 overall.





Kaminsky relied heavily on junior college transfers during his tenure with the Yellowjackets. Buchanan said he, too, will look to bring in junior college players, though he also plans to recruit heavily from the prep ranks in both Wisconsin and Minnesota.





"My main focus right now is recruiting," said Buchanan, who expects first-team all-WIAC performer Leonard Cobb to return next year for his senior season. "I have to get caught up as soon as I can. We have something to sell, including immediate playing time.





"We will recruit junior college and high school players. We plan on hitting Wisconsin and Minnesota especially hard."





Nick Messner, one of Buchanans former standouts from his five-year stay at Greenfield High School, plans to follow his prep coach to Superior and play for the Yellowjackets next season. Messner, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward, will have three years of eligibility at Superior after a brief stint at Marian College.





After a stellar prep career playing for coach Eli Crogan at Watertown, Buchanan spent four years competing for coach Charlie Gross at UW-La Crosse, so he is quite familiar with the ins and outs of the WIAC.





"The position at Superior gives me a chance to be a college head coach, which has been my goal since joining Luke Reigel at Parkside," Buchanan said. "Its also a chance to coach in the league where I played.





"The WIAC is an amazing league. There are many national championship level programs in the league. With the increase in the number of teams that go to the NCAA Division III Tournament, our league will get multiple bids. You dont have to win our league in order to get into the national tournament. Thats a positive for our program."





Superior plays its home games in one of the leagues top facilities, the new Health and Wellness Center. In the next three years, Buchanan said there are plans to build three new buildings on campus.





While driving through the "rows and rows of pine trees" and "space galore" on his way back to his home on South 74th Street in Milwaukee, Buchanan briefly reflected on the future of basketball at Superior.





"There is a lot of growth on campus right now," he said. "The administrators have a good vision for the future of the school. The other thing about our administration, they understand what it will take to win in our league. And, they want to win. Im excited to get the position and to be a part of some real growth at UW-Superior."