Men's Basketball Coaches' Profiles

Eric Bridgeland

Head Coach

Eric Bridgeland recently completed his fourth season at the helm of the menÕs basketball program at the University of Puget Sound. Sporting the highest winning percentage in the country over the last 2 seasons with a 46-5 record vs. NCAA DIII teams (.901), Coach Bridge, along with assistants Justin Lunt and Matt Robles have wasted little time establishing the Loggers as one of the premier programs in the country.

After Bridgeland was hired in August of 2001, it wasnÕt tough to tell the Logger basketball program was headed in the right direction. The 2001-02 Loggers, despite the absence of 7 graduating seniors from the prior campaign and playing with 8 walk-ons, pressed and trapped its way to a 7-9 record in the tough Northwest Conference.

The 2002-2003 Loggers put its mark on the resurgence of the program with a mammoth upset of the undefeated #12 ranked team in the nation Š Puget SoundÕs 1st upset of a ranked team since joining NCAA Division III. Along the way, the Loggers battled the eventual national championship runners-up, Gustavus Adolphus College, all the way to the final buzzer in a nail biter to eventually fall by 4 points.

The 2003-04 Loggers (24-3, 15-1 in the NWC) established themselves as one of the greatest teams in program history, setting multiple program marks including points per game average, three-pointers in both a season and game, and overall winning percentage. The Loggers were the third highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 103.3 points per contest while making it into the Sweet 16 of the National Tournament. Puget Sound reached a national ranking as high as #4.

The 2004-05 squad entered the season as the team to beat on the west coast and answered the bell as it went 22-2 vs. NCAA DIII competition (15-1 in the NWC) on its way to its 2nd consecutive NWC crown and Sweet 16 appearance. The Loggers, on the national level, climbed as high as #3 in the country. The Loggers unprecedented back to back NWC titles (the 1st in 18 years) coupled with its 30 conference wins vs. just 2 losses over the past 2 seasons goes unmatched in the rich history of the NWC. It is notable to add that in both of the NCAA Tournaments under Coach Bridge and his staff the Loggers have only been knocked out by the eventual national champions Š University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.

The Loggers enter the 2005-06 campaign sporting a 27-game regular season win streak while maintaining a 3.25 team GPA Š the highest of any menÕs athletic program at Puget Sound. Despite the academic and athletic success and strength of the program, the heart and soul of menÕs basketball at Puget Sound lies in building life lasting relationships. Centered on the core values of honesty, integrity and trust the menÕs basketball programÕs core purpose is to transform young men into the epitome of leaders on and off the floor.

With just three recruiting classes under their belt, Coach Bridge and his staff have begun a renaissance of men's basketball at Puget Sound. For student-athletes looking for an exceptional academic experience to go along with an elite basketball experience Puget Sound is quickly becoming the place to be. With BridgeÕs 1st recruiting class now seniors, the Loggers look primed to challenge for the 2006 National Championship.

On the personal side of things, Bridge brought a diverse coaching background to Logger men's basketball when he arrived prior to the 2001-02 season. Coach Bridgeland came to Puget Sound after two seasons at the University of California, Santa Cruz, also a NCAA III program. At UCSC, Bridgeland nearly tripled the teams number of wins in his first season and recorded a 23-26 overall mark in two years.

Bridge has also served as an assistant at perennial Division II power California State, Bakersfield in 1998 and coached under one of the greatest teachers of the game in Bob Gaillard at Lewis & Clark College in 1997. During his stint at Lewis & Clark, Bridge became familiar with the Northwest Conference and Puget Sound. Bridge also had assistant coaching stints at the Colorado School of Mines (Div. II), Stephen F. Austin State (Div. I) and the University of West Florida (Div. II).

A graduate of the University of Manitoba (Canada), Bridge brings a strong playing background to his coaching. Bridge played with Canada's National Team in 1990-93 and the Winnipeg Thunder of the National Basketball League. Bridge is the all-time scoring leader at his alma mater. Bridge resides with his wife Brianne in nearby Fife, Washington.

Coach Bridgeland at Puget Sound

Justin Lunt

Head Assistant Coach

Justin Lunt joins the Loggers basketball staff in 2004 as the head assistant coach. Lunt's primary responsibilities include recruiting and individual player development. A former JV and Assistant Head Coach at Fife High School for three years, Lunt played his high school basketball at Lutheran High School in San Diego California where he was a First Team All-League and All-County selection. Prior to coaching high school Justin served as the second assistant at St. Martin's College. Lunt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pacific Lutheran in Recreational Administration and resides in Tacoma with his wife Renee.