Lakeland University Athletics

Sam Schroeder is in his ninth year as head coach of the Lakeland men’s basketball team in 2025-26 and enters the season as the fourth winningest coach all-time in program history.
 
Schroeder took over as coach in 2017 after six years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the program. He has 84 wins in his first eight years as head coach while leading Lakeland teams in the competitive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
 
In his fourteen-year coaching tenure, Schroeder has mentored 26 all-conference selections, two All-Americans, two all-region selections, one conference player of the year, a Division III All-Star game selection, the school’s all-time leading scorer and six 1,000-point scorers.

During the 2024-25 season, the Muskies led the NACC in three-point field goals made per game for the fourth time in eight years, including finishing in the top two in seven of the previous eight seasons.In the past eight seasons combined, the Muskies have averaged more points per game than any NACC team.
 
During the 2022-23 season, Lakeland led the NACC in scoring and finished 10th nationally in NCAA Division III averaging 87 points per-game. Schroeder’s team also led the NACC in three-pointers made and finished 9th nationally in Division III with 10.7 triples per game.
 
The Muskies’ offensive prowess continued to break records as they scored 155 points against Greenville University Dec. 1, 2022, breaking the previous school record of 154 points in a game set back in 1966. Lakeland would then go on to make 23 three-point field goals against Concordia Wisconsin in the season finale, tying the school record for triples in a game set a year prior.
 
Prior to being named head coach, Schroeder served the Muskies as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for six seasons, during which Lakeland compiled a 98-61 record, posted five straight winning seasons, won a NACC regular season title in 2013 and appeared in two conference tournament title games.
 
Off the court, Schroeder developed and initiated the men's basketball program's Leadership, Attitude and Character Education program (LACE). LACE emphasizes creating a championship culture on and off the court. The program provides student-athletes with a foundation for success and guides them toward being positive, respectful, and contributing leaders of society.

Academically, the team received the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2024-2025 and 2023-2024 academic years. 
 
Schroeder values the importance of providing worldly experiences for his student-athletes. He has taken his teams on foreign tour experiences to Greece, France, and Spain. As an assistant, Schroeder assisted in the organization of team trips to Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Belgium.
 
Schroeder joined the Muskies men’s basketball staff after playing for four years at Lakeland. He was a member of the Muskies' 2007-08 conference tournament championship team, was a two-time NACC Scholar-Athlete and was named to the NACC All-Sportsmanship Team. He also received the team's Passion and Dedication Award.
 
Schroeder graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology with minors in ethnic and gender studies and history and completed a Master of Arts in counseling with a higher education emphasis. He is a native of Red River, Wis., and a graduate of Shawano High School, and in the summer of 2022 married the former Brittany Jurek, a Lakeland graduate and former member of the Muskies softball and women’s tennis teams.