Josh Buettner was named head men's basketball coach on April 16, 2021. In his first season at the helm, Buettner was named GLIAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Huskies to a 21-7 record and a GLIAC Regular Season Championship with a record of 16-4. MTU defeated Wisconsin-Parkside in the 2021-22 GLIAC quarterfinals before falling in the semifinals. Buettner helped senior Owen White earn First Team All-District Recognition as well as First Team All-Region honors.
In a building year, coach Buettner saw his squad make the GLIAC Tournament, falling to Grand Valley State in the Quarterfinals for an overall record of 11-17 overall and 8-10 in the league in 2023-24. Buettner saw sophomore guard Marcus Tomashek earn CSC All-District Honors, D2CCA All-Region Second Team accolades, to go with being named to the All-GLIAC First Team. He also saw sophomores Dan Gherezgher (Second Team All-GLIAC) and Josh Terrian (All-GLIAC Defense). The Huskies faced five ranked teams in the 2023-24 campaign, knocking off No. 24 Winona State 73-72 (Dec. 19) and No. 24 Northern Michigan 80-69 (Feb. 17).
In 2022-23, Buettner's Huskies upset the No. 1 seed Wisconsin Parkside in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals, then defeated Grand Valley State in the semifinals to reach the GLIAC Championship with three freshmen in the starting lineup. The Huskies were tournament runners up, falling to NMU 79-66 in Big Rapids. Freshman Dan Gherezgher was named All-GLIAC Second Team as Tech finished 10-20 overall, 5-13 in GLIAC contests.
As associate head coach in 2020-21, Buettner helped the Huskies qualify for the NCAA Midwest Region Championship game. The Huskies finished 15-8 overall as 12-6 in the GLIAC North Division. Prior to his promotion to Associate Head Coach, Buettner served 13 seasons as assistant coach after taking the position in July, 2008. He has recruited four All-Americans and numerous All-GLIAC First Team selections since his appointment.
As assistant coach, Buettner helped the Huskies to 10 postseason appearances and one GLIAC Championship (2019-20).
The Shawano, Wis., native starred for the Huskies from 2001-05. He was a two-time All-American and earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors in his junior and senior seasons.
A 6-foot-9-inch forward, Buettner is currently fourth on Tech’s all-time scoring chart with 2,061 career points.
Following his graduation from Tech in 2005, Buettner played professionally in Europe for three years. He signed in leagues in Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland, and was named the Danish Elite League Player of the Year in his second professional campaign.
In addition to his coaching duties, Buettner teaches classes in the kinesiology and integrated physiology department.
