Steve Minton begins his 26th season at the helm of the Geneseo men's basketball program for the 2025-26 season. He enters the upcoming campaign with a 335-292 overall record.
Minton led the Knights to the Empire 8 Tournament in the 2024-2025 season. The Knights under Minton managed to score a season high of 104 points in a game against St. John Fisher towards the end of the season, with the team scoring above 70 in 15 of their games.
The 2023-24 season saw Minton and the Knights record a record of 12-13 overall with a SUNYAC record of 9-9. Cole Kattan '23 led the team in scoring for the second-straight season with 14.6 points per game and Second-Team All-SUNYAC honors. Kattan was also named a CSC Academic All-District honoree after recording a 3.72 cumulative GPA through the fall semester of his senior year.
In 2022-23, Minton and the Knights returned to the postseason for the ninth time in the last ten seasons with an overall record of 11-15 and 8-10 in SUNYAC play. Cole Kattan '23 led the Knights through the season averaging 14.5 points per game, and earned multiple postseason honors. Kattan was named Third-Team All-SUNYAC, SUNYAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, SUNY Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, and USBWA First-Team All-Rochester.
Following a year off of competition, due to COVID-19, Minton and the Knights returned to action in 2021-22 and earned an 11-13 overall record. The season was highlighted by Michael Gannon '22, reaching 1,000 career points in just three seasons of playing. Gannon reached the milestone in the second-to-last game of the regular season with a 75-57 win over Fredonia and a 28-point performance from Gannon.
In 2019-20, Geneseo finished 9-17 overall and reached the postseason for the eighth-straight season. The Knights fell to Oneonta in the quarterfinal round. Michael Gannon '22 earned the first All-Conference selection of his career after averaging 15.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.
In 2018-19, Minton led the Knights to a 14-12 record, securing the program's seventh-consecutive SUNYAC postseason berth. The team earned its first home playoff game since 2014, but fell to Oswego, 95-84 in the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament. Zack Panebianco '19 averaged 13.4 points and 3.6 assists per game while Kevin Crockett '18 scored 10.7 points per game and graduated with the program's eighth-highest career three-point percentage (40.1%) and second-best career free-throw percentage (89.1%).
As a team, the Knights finished the 2016-17 season as the top free-throw shooting team in the country, registering an 80.8% clip from the foul line. John Decker '17 led the SUNYAC and finished 23rd in the nation in scoring (22.0 ppg) and was named second team all-conference. Decker ranked 14th in the nation in free-throw percentage (90.6) and seventh in three-point field goals made per game (3.62), as he and classmate Justin Ringen '17 each reached the 1,000-point plateau in just two seasons with the Knights.
Under Minton's guidance, forward Gordon Lyons '15 capped his standout career by being named the sixth men's basketball All-American in program history following the 2014-15 season. Also voted the 2014-15 NABC East Region, d3hoops.com East Region and SUNYAC Player of the Year, Lyons landed Capital One First-Team Academic All-America® honors for the second-straight year. Lyons finished 2014-15 leading the nation with 12.6 rebounds per game, while his 22 double-doubles ranked second and his 20.6 points per game stood 23rd.
In 2013-14, Minton guided the squad to a 21-7 record and an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Clinching the third seed for the SUNYAC Tournament with a 14-4 league mark, the Knights advanced to the semifinals following a 79-67 victory over Oneonta in the quarters. After a tight 73-69 setback to Plattsburgh, Geneseo was one of three SUNYAC teams to be invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Knights traveled to Wooster, Ohio, to take on first-round opponent Dickinson (Pa.), falling, 83-76, to a Red Devils squad that went on to the national quarterfinals. On January 11th, 2014, Minton recorded his 200th victory at Geneseo with an 86-74 road victory over Potsdam and stands as the second winningest coach in the 95-year history of the program.
Minton also guided the team to a 19-8 record in 2007-08 and a 20-9 record and his second Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate Tournament title in 2004. In his first season as bench director, Minton led Geneseo to the JP Morgan Chase and ECAC Tournament Championships as the Knights posted a 21-8 record. Minton's three 20-win seasons are among just eight total in the history of the program.
A native of Oxford, Ohio, Minton spent four years as the head coach of Hiram College after assistant coaching stints at Miami (Ohio), Tiffin (Ohio), Armstrong St. (Ga.) and Albion (Mich.).
An injury cut short Minton's playing career at Heidelberg College after two seasons, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1986. Minton completed his master's degree in 1996 at Western Michigan.
