Steve Schweer has been named the 16th head coach of the UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball program, starting June 1, following the resignation of Matt Lewis on March 31.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named the next head men’s basketball coach at UW-Oshkosh,” Schweer said. “It became very clear to me why there has been such a high level of competitive excellence across the board at UWO. I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing championships back to Oshkosh!”
Schweer arrives at Titan nation after spending eight seasons leading the Illinois College Blueboys during their most successful stretch in program history. Under Schweer, Illinois College went 114-79, and racked up both the Midwest Conference (MWC) regular season and tournament titles in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024) before securing a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship.
During the 2024 campaign, the Blue Boys won the program’s first NCAA tournament game, defeating the University of Dubuque (Iowa) in the St. Louis regional.
In 2023, Schweer was named both the MWC and d3hoops.com Region 9 Coach of the Year. He reached his 100th career win on Feb. 8, 2025, when the Blue Boys defeated Lawrence University 66-43.
He spent the last three years at Illinois College, also serving as the associate director of athletics, where he coordinated game day operations for seven sports, served on campus initiative committees and created the Student-Athlete Justice, Equity and Inclusion Team.
“Blueboy basketball’s incredible legacy has been enhanced on and off the court under Steve’s leadership,” Illinois College Director of Athletics Meghan Roman said in a press release following the announcement. “The integrity and success that he created will continue to benefit our program moving forward. We are grateful for the leadership Steve has provided in our men’s basketball program and for the impact he has made on our student-athletes, colleagues, and the entire Illinois College family.”
Prior to leading Illinois College, Schweer served as an assistant coach at North Central College (Illinois) as the Cardinals won the 2017 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title and appeared in two NCAA Division III Championship tournaments. He also spent five years at Monmouth College (Illinois), serving as an assistant men’s basketball coach, assistant to the athletic director, assistant director of student success and athletics department recruiting coordinator. He also served as the head men’s golf coach for two seasons.
While earning his bachelor’s degree, Schweer was a four-year letterwinner for the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team from 2003-06. Starting in 12 of his 93 career games, Schweer averaged 14.7 minutes, 3.4 points and 3 rebounds per game in addition to totaling 72 assists, 23 blocks, 85 turnovers and 38 steals.
Slated to start his tenure on June 1, Schweer inherits a program that holds 15 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season crowns and five tournament titles, having qualified for 12 NCAA Division III postseason tournaments and winning the national title in 2019.
Darryl Sims, assistant chancellor for intercollegiate athletics at UWO, said Schweer breathes fresh life into the program.
“We are excited to welcome Steve to Oshkosh,” said Sims. “He brings a great enthusiasm for the program and the university that I am sure will continue the great tradition of success within UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball for years to come.”
