Greg Heiar (pronounced “higher”) spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Wichita State under head coach Gregg Marshall, following two years as an assistant at Southern Miss and five seasons as head coach at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College.
He joined the LSU staff as an assistant coach in the summer of 2017.
Heiar’s six years on the WSU campus coincided with the most successful stretch in the school's 110-year basketball history, with five Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles and six-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the 2013 Final Four.
During Heiar's tenure, the Shockers posted an incredible 179-35 record, and their .836 winning percentage was the second-high in Division I college basketball -- second only to Gonzaga.
Heiar worked extensively with the Shocker guards and helped mentor All-Americans Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet to first team all-conference status in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
In 2017, he helped the duo's backcourt heir apparent, Landry Shamet and Conner Frankamp, to first and third team all-conference honors respectively. Shamet ranked among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio and was named MVC Freshman of the Year.
WSU finished the 2016-17 season at 31-5 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a fifth-consecutive year. The Shockers swept the MVC's regular season and tournament titles and finished the season in the national rankings.
In 2015-16, WSU won its third-straight conference regular season title and defeated Vanderbilt and Arizona in NCAA Tournament play.
Both Baker and VanVleet signed NBA contracts in the off-season with the Knicks and Raptors after strong senior seasons. VanVleet earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors for the second time and finished as the school's career assists and steals leader. Baker climbed into the top-10 on WSU's all-time scoring list.
With the Shocker guards leading the way, WSU was the only team in Division I to surrender fewer than 60 points per game (59.0), and the team's +5.6 turnover margin ranked second nationally. Baker and VanVleet combined for a 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and recorded as many steals (108) as they had turnovers (108).
Despite returning just five lettermen, the 2014-15 Shockers continued WSU's run of excellence, posting a third-consecutive 30-win season, a second-straight MVC regular season title and a run to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Heiar worked closely with the Shocker backcourt, helping juniors Baker and VanVleet to first team all-conference honors.
In 2013-14, Wichita State became the first team in NCAA Division I history to open a season 35-0. The Shockers swept through the MVC regular season with a perfect 18-0 mark, becoming the first Valley team to run the table in nearly three decades. Shortly after, WSU snapped a long MVC Tournament drought with its first title since 1987.
The Shockers were ranked in the Top 25 all season, also a first for WSU, and reached the No. 2 spot in both the AP and Coaches Polls for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
Heiar was also instrumental during the 2012-13 season when a Final Four appearance by the Shockers topped a six-year reconstruction at Wichita State under Head Coach Gregg Marshall. En route, WSU defeated Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, La Salle, and Ohio State before losing to eventual National Champion Louisville in the National Semifinal game in Atlanta. The voters in the USA Today Coaches poll rewarded the Shockers with a final No. 4 ranking, their highest final ranking ever.
The 2011-12 Shockers posted a 16-2 mark in MVC play to win the school’s first conference title since 2006 and booked a trip to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed.
Heiar was officially announced as WSU’s newest assistant on May 3, 2011.
"Greg Heiar has been a winner everywhere he’s been as a player, head coach, and now as an assistant coach," head coach, Gregg Marshall said. "He builds relationships which are beneficial in recruiting and his record as a head coach is exemplary. We feel like Greg and his family are the complete package."
At Southern Miss, Heiar helped the Eagles to a pair of 20-win seasons. The 2009-10 squad reached the Conference USA semifinals and was awarded a postseason bid to the CIT.
Prior to his stint at Southern Miss, he spent six years at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, including his last five at the school as the head coach. While at Chipola, Heiar coached the Indians to a 164-15 record. He coached 40 all-conference players and sent 39 players to Division I schools. He was named the Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year five times, and earned NJCAA Region VIII Coach of the Year four times.
In his last season at Chipola, Heiar coached the team to a 35-2 record and its fifth-consecutive Panhandle Conference Championship. The Indians then earned a third-place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament, their fourth appearance in a five-year span in the National Tournament.
As a player, Heiar earned second-team all-region honors at Kirkwood Community College, after leading his team to the National Tournament for the first time in school history. That year, he helped to guide his team to a 25-10 record and a conference championship.
Success followed Heiar to Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa, where he was a two-year captain and team MVP. In addition to numerous all-tournament honors, Heiar was a first team all-conference choice and led MSCC to the first conference title in school history.
After graduating, Heiar stayed on for a season as the program’s student assistant, then continued his coaching career as a graduate (and later full-time) assistant at Loras College.
Heiar played basketball for former WSU assistant coach Chris Jans at Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College and also coached under Jans at Chipola (Fla.) Community College. The two reunited with Heiar’s addition to the WSU staff for three more years.
Heiar and his wife, Jessica, have a daughter, Alexis.
The Heiar File:
Wichita State – Assistant Coach – 2011-Present
Southern Miss – Assistant Coach – 2009-11
Chipola (Fla.) JC – Head Coach – 2004-09
Chipola (Fla.) JC – Assistant Coach – 2003-04
Loras College (Iowa) – Graduate Assistant/Assistant Coach – 2001-03
Mount St. Clare College (Iowa) – Student Assistant – 2000-01
