Dave Arseneault Jr. ’09 is entering his 10th year as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach for Grinnell College. He took over for his father Dave Arseneault Sr., who retired in June 2018 after 27 years as the Head Coach at Grinnell. Arseneault Jr. currently holds the highest career win percentage out of any coach in the history of Grinnell College Men’s Basketball, with an overall record of 134-81 (.623).
The 2024-25 campaign marked one of the most successful seasons in school history. Arseneault Jr. led the Pioneers to a school record 20 wins and took the team to their first NCAA Division III Tournament Appearance since 2004. After finishing in 2nd place during the Midwest Conference regular season, Grinnell rattled off back-to-back victories in the conference tournament to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
During the 2023-24 season, Arseneault Jr. won his 100th game as the Head Coach of the Pioneers. He guided the Pioneers to a then school record of 19 wins and helped the team advance to the Midwest Conference Championship game after a second-place finish during the regular season. Arseneault Jr. was honored with the Midwest Conference Coach of the Year award.
Arseneault Jr., who previously played and coached at Grinnell, returned to Grinnell in 2015 after two seasons as the Head Coach for the Reno Bighorns, the NBA D-League (now G-League) affiliate for the Sacramento Kings. In his final season with the Bighorns, he led the team to the Pacific Division title while finishing with the best record in the Western Conference (33-17). His team set a then D-League record for offensive efficiency, and his team led the league in numerous offensive categories including points per game, 3-point field goals, 3-point percentage, assists per game, and assist-turnover ratio.
As a player at Grinnell, Dave Jr. was a three-time finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award while finishing as the NCAA Division III all-time leader in career assists average with 9.4 per game. He helped lead the Pioneer to two MWC Championships and as a senior, Arseneault Jr. led the nation in assists per game (10.2). He currently ranks 13th on the Pioneers’ all-time scoring chart with 1,462 points.
Arseneault Jr. resides in Grinnell with his wife, Rachel Arseneault ’10, a former cross country and track athlete at Grinnell. They have three children Izzy (8), Jackson (6), and Luke (4).
