Chris Klassen enters his fifth season as the head coach of the SUNY Canton women's basketball program during the 2024-25 academic year.
Klassen led the Roos to a new NCAA D-III era program record with 21 wins and just six losses during the 2023-24 season, marking the most wins by a SUNY Canton team since the 2006-07 team went 23-5 during the junior college days. Sierra Pabo was named the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Conference, while Hope Aniceto joined her on the Second Team. Natalie Bartle was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week. Aniceto set program records for single-season made threes (92) and single-game made threes (10 vs. Paul Smith's 2/5/24). Natalie Bartle had likely the most prolific game of any Canton women's basketball player scoring 46 points, pulling down 26 rebounds and going a perfect 17-for-17 from the free throw line, all program records in a 74-72 win at Clarkson (11/15/23). Her 17 made free throws without a miss were just three short of tying the all-time D-III record. with The Roos also set the single-game program record for made threes in back-to-back games against Paul Smith's (16 - 2/5/24) and VTSU Johnson (19 - 2/10/24). The Roos qualified for their third consecutive NAC Tournament making it to the semifinal round.
Klassen led the Roos to a new previous NCAA D-III era program record with 14 wins during the 2022-23 season. The Roos 14 wins were the most wins since SUNY Canton became a four-year school and the most victories in the last 16 seasons since the 2006-07 team won 23 games. The Roos had two all-conference performers in Joie Culkin (Second Team) and Aniceto (Third Team), while Culkin earned D3hoops.com National Team of the Week honors. Culkin was tabbed the Women's Basketball SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year and Samantha Dayter earned the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence as well as the Athletics department's Co-Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Klassen led Canton to just their second ever NCAA conference tournament playoff win and the program's first winning season in nine years during the 2021-22 campaign. The Roos earned just their second win against Clarkson since becoming a four-year institution and the first in nine years. Raven earned a spot on the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week and was tabbed NAC Second Team All-Conference.
Klassen spent the previous two seasons as the assistant women’s basketball coach at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He helped guide Knox to an overall record of 29-22 overall and a 21-15 mark in the competitive Midwest Conference during his two years as an assistant with the Prairie Fire. The team finished fourth in the conference during both seasons as they made the conference tournament during the 2019-20 season.
At Knox, Klassen played a key role in the Prairie Fire’s recruiting efforts, conducted all opponent playbooks and scouts, assisted in guard and post development, and created and ran the team’s preseason strength and conditioning programs. He also helped three players earn all-conference honors (one First Team, two Second Team). In addition, Klassen was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for all sports at Knox.
Klassen assisted with camps for local area youth, game day management for other campus sports and created all media graphics for the women’s basketball team’s social media accounts among other duties.
Prior to Knox, Klassen spent eight years as an assistant basketball coach at Pima Community College, one on the men’s side before spending the next seven seasons as women’s assistant. As an assistant to women’s coach Todd Holthaus the Aztecs earned a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in 2016, won an NJCAA Region I, Division II title in 2016 and appeared in the Region I, Division II championship game in each season.
Before moving to the collegiate ranks Klassen was the head coach at his alma matter, Palo Verde High School, in Tucson, Arizona from 2009-2011 where he went 41-20. In 2010, his team went 24-7 with a state final four appearance.
“I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to join the Roo family as the next head women’s basketball coach at SUNY Canton!” Klassen said. “My family and I are looking forward to our move to Canton and becoming a part of the amazing community. I would like to thank Randy Sieminski and the rest of the search committee for their trust and belief in me to lead the program and allowing me to be a part of a place that feels like home. I look forward to being able to mentor, coach and inspire our players and lead the program to new heights!”
Klassen graduated from Palo Verde High School and played at William Penn University, an NAIA school in Oskaloosa, Iowa where he earned a basketball scholarship and was a three-year starter. He scored over 1,000 points in his career and ranks in the individual top 10 in William Penn history in steals, three-pointers made and three-point percentage.
Klassen graduated from William Penn with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education K-12 Physical Education. Klassen spent 14 years combined as a physical education teacher in the Tucson Unified School District in Arizona, one year as an exercise science teacher and one as the Youth Sports Director at the Ott Family YMCA.
Klassen and his wife, Katie also created and manage two girls AAU travel organizations. The Tucson Rattlers (AZ), founded in 2012 and the Galesburg Express (IL), founded in 2019.
Chris resides in Canton with his wife Katie, daughter Calie, and son Trey.
(Updated 7/23/24)
