Shane Rinner Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska Position: Head Coach Experience: 3 Years

Heading into his third year as Head Basketball Coach at Texas A&M International University, Shane Rinner has completely changed the face of the program. His emphasis on accountability and hard work, on the floor and in the classroom, has ushered in an era of unprecedented success.

"I'm most proud of bringing stability to the program and it starts with getting guys to buy into our system, " said Coach Rinner. "TAMIU basketball means working hard in the classroom and on the floor as well as giving back to the community."

Despite starting 0-and-4 in 2010, the Alaska native led the team to the most successful season in program history. The Dustdevils earned a share of the regular season conference title, captured the team's first Heartland Conference Tournament Championship and earned the team's first birth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. "We got off to a rocky start but as we progressed our team came together and we ended up having a great year." In TAMIU's tournament debut, the Dustdevils lost a heartbreaker to the No. 4 team in the nation Central Oklahoma, 79-to-70 in overtime. The team also won the Heartland Conference Scholastic Award for highest team GPA (3.10 on 4.0 scale).

With expectations higher than ever coming into 2011, Coach Rinner says the latest goal is to prove that their program is not a one-hit wonder. "We believe this program is built on the right foundations. The faces may change and the years may go by but the results should be the same. This season we have a lot of guys returning who were able to see the positive results our program can produce. Now these guys are coaching each other and our message is being pushed by the veterans as well as the coaching staff"

Statistically the Dustdevils ranked near the top of the conference in nearly every major category last season. Offensively they were ranked 3rd in scoring putting up 78.8 ppg (points per game) and 1st in scoring margin at +6.9. They also led the league in field goal percentage (.503) and assists per game (13.4). Defensively the team was ranked 2nd in the conference giving up only 67.9 ppg, holding teams to a .453 field goal percentage. Senior Will Faiivae led the conference in field goal percentage, shooting .673 for the season and was the conference's 8th leading scorer averaging 14.4 ppg. For his outstanding effort, Faiivae was named to the Daktronics Men's Basketball All-South Central second-team. Senior Luis Gomez led the league in 3-point field goals with 31 while also holding the top spot in free throw percentage at .935.

In 2009 the Dustdevils finished the season with a 12-and-15 overall record culminating in the first Heartland Conference Tournament appearance in school history. The team was also able to defeat the top three finishers in the Heartland Conference regular season standings and play close games against NCAA D-1 opponents Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Rice.

Rinner has coaching experience at the NCAA Division I. Division II, NAIA, junior college (NJCAA) and professional levels. From 1994-96, he coached at his alma mater, NAIA Biola (Calif.) University, and returned there for a second stint from 2000-02. From 1996-98, he coached at Division I Liberty University in Virginia, before moving on to Marshalltown (Iowa) Junior College in 1998-99. In 1999-2000, he was the head coach for the Glostrup Giants in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Prior to arriving at TAMIU, Rinner achieved a successful run as Associate Head Coach at one of the premier NCAA Division II programs in the nation, the University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA). During Rinner's tenure, UAA achieved victories over nationally recognized NCAA Division I foes and multiple nationally ranked NCAA Division II opponents. He helped lead the Seawolves to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances including a run to the 2008 Final Four in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In 2007-2008 UAA posted the best record in school history (29-6), won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, had a consecutive win streak of 18 games and earned its first number one NCAA tournament seed in school history. During this incredible season the Seawolves were ranked in the top-10 of the national poll a majority of the year and elevated two student athletes to All-American status, setting numerous school records along the way.

Over his coaching career, Rinner has recruited and helped to develop 12 All Americans including numerous All Conference players and Conference MVP's. In addition, 16 players have signed professional contacts across the globe. At all of his stops he has experienced a high level of success which is a direct reflection of his work ethic and attention to detail.

During his prep career at Anchorage Christian School, Rinner played in back-to-back state championship games. He was an All-Conference, All-State, and 3A State Player of the Year. Rinner played two seasons at Biola University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He also played two seasons at Southwestern Junior College.

He and his wife Amanda are the proud parents of two children, Tagan (daughter) and Merik (son).