After 13 years coaching high school basketball, Mark Vancuren made the move to college basketball when he joined the basketball coaching staff prior to the 2001-2002 season. This year will be his third as a member of Head Coach Bob Hoffman’s coaching staff.

“Since Coach Hoffman has been here, we have taken many positive steps in turning this program around,” said Vancuren. “I hope to continue to be an integral part of our continuing progress and expectation of success.”

A native of Owasso, Oklahoma, Vancuren played high school basketball before enrolling at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He began his coaching career while attending OBU, serving as an assistant coach at Carl Albert High School in the Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City. Among the players he coached was Jeff Webster, a McDonald’s All-American.

After graduation, Vancuren became an assistant coach at Westmoore HS in Moore, Oklahoma, helping the Jaguars to a Class 5A State Runner-up finish in 1989. He was a member of the Westmoore coaching staff for four years before becoming the head coach at Seminole High School in Seminole, Oklahoma. At Seminole, Vancuren resurrected a program that had won eight games in the previous three seasons. In 1997, his fifth year at the helm, Seminole won the Class 4A State Championship and Vancuren was honored as Region Coach of the Year. Following the successes of that season Vancuren moved on to Lawrence, Kansas, as the head coach at Class 6A Lawrence High School for three seasons. He then returned to Oklahoma, serving as the head coach for Class 6A Norman High School, leading them to a record of 20-5 in 2000 - 2001.

“Coach Vancuren’s expertise in breaking down game footage, along with his expertise in teaching fundamentals, is a great asset to our players, and to our program,” said Hoffman. Vancuren assists with recruiting, on-floor coaching, and monitoring the academic progress of the student-athletes on the basketball team.

Vancuren and his wife, Sheila, have three children. They have a six-year old daughter, Riley, a son, Jaxon, who is four, and a daughter, Avery, who is one.