| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Wartburg |
| Record | 6–1 |
| Biographical details | |
| Alma mater | Maine–Farmington BS Springfield MS |
| Playing career | |
| 2010-2014 | Maine–Farmington |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2014-2015 | Southern Maine (assistant) |
| 2017-2019 | Springfield (assistant) |
| 2019-2020 | Bates (assistant) |
| 2020-2024 | Maine–Farmington |
| 2024-Present | Wartburg |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 59–26 (.694) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| NAC Coach of the Year (2023) | |
Sam Leal is a former men's basketball player and current head coach at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
Playing career
Sam Leal played college basketball at UMF in Farmington, Maine. In his junior campaign the Beavers would win the North Atlantic Conference regular season championship and finish with an overall record of 21–6. In his final year at UMF, the beavers would end their season with an overtime loss to Husson in the NAC tournament championship game.
Coaching career
Maine–Farmington
Leal began is head coaching career at his alma mater, University of Maine at Farmington. Sam spent 4 seasons at the helm, recording a 53–25 overall record. Following the 2022–2023 season, Leal was named NAC coach of the year after posting a 19–8 overall record, 13–1 in conference play, earning them the #1 seed in the conference tournament. They would fall in the conference championship game to SUNY-Delhi.
Wartburg College
Sam Leal was announced as the 13th head men's basketball coach in Wartburg history on May 1, 2024. He replaced longtime head coach Dick Peth.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine–Farmington (North Atlantic Conference) (2020–2024) | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | Maine–Farmington | 2–1 | Postseason not held due to COVID-19 | ||||||
| 2021–22 | Maine–Farmington | 14–7 | 8-2 | 1st (East) | |||||
| 2022–23 | Maine–Farmington | 19–8 | 13–1 | 1st (East) | |||||
| 2023–24 | Maine–Farmington | 18–9 | 9–5 | 2nd (East) | |||||
| Maine–Farmington: | 53–25 (.679) | 30–8 | |||||||
| Wartburg Knights (American Rivers Conference) (2024–Present) | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | Wartburg | 6–1 | 1–0 | ||||||
| Wartburg: | 6–1 (.857) | 1–0 (1.000) | |||||||
| Total: | 59–26 (.694) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Wartburg College hires a new head men's basketball coach". KWWL. May 2, 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- "Men's hoops' championship run falls short in OT at Husson". goumfbeavers.com. UMF Athletics. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- Blasi, Tony (April 20, 2020). "Sam Leal named new men's basketball coach at UMF". Sun Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- "Men's basketball 2023 All-NAC teams unveiled". nacathletics.com. NAC Athletics. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- Petrik, Ethan (May 1, 2024). "College men's basketball: Wartburg tabs Leal as Knights' next head coach". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved 14 May 2024.