Bryan Martin has made a lot of good connections during his basketball career as a player and coach at seven different colleges.

It's paid off with a handsome recruiting class at Coe.

Martin has brought in 11 new players for the Kohawks and four of them came through his connections with his former coaches and former players through the years.

Take Zach Schlabaugh of Williamsburg. Schlabaugh's father, Dave, recruited Martin to play college basketball at Morningside. Now Martin has recruited Schlabaugh's son to play for him at Coe.

"We've kind of come full cycle there," said Martin.

Take Will Reichelt, a 6-foot-6 player from Pocatello, Idaho. One of Reichelt's coaches in school was a student manager at Indian Hills when Martin worked at that junior college.

There's Trevor Haaland, a 6-foot guard from Osage who is transferring to Coe from Wayne State. Martin coached Haaland's older brother when Martin was the head coach at NIACC.

There's also Jesse Porter, a guard from Denver, Colo. Martin coached Porter's older brother when Martin was a coach at North Dakota.

All those connections helped Martin get started with those players and he was able to close the deal and bring them to Cedar Rapids.

Martin also signed a bunch of talented players the old-fashioned way by discovering them in a gym somewhere. No matter the method, he likes the results.

"I really like this group," he said. "I really think all 11 of these guys fit us perfectly, on and off the court, and add to our culture. And they're all talented guys. They're going to help us win games at the varsity level at some point soon."

Martin went back to Davenport Assumption, one of his favorite stops, for three new players. Two of his best players this past season, JT Vonderhaar and his brother Matt Vonderhaar, are Assumption products.

Evan Wadsager, Hunter Grenier and Connor Moellenbeck have joined the Kohawks from Assumption.

"Assumption has been good to us, starting with the Vonderhaar boys of course," Martin said. "We've always felt that program was a rock-solid program and they're well-coached kids. We're excited to keep that pipeline going."

Martin cornered a local product when Lane Halupnik of Linn-Mar agreed to attend Coe. Halupnik was the first member of this recruiting class to say yes.

"He's one of those players who's always in the right place on the court," Martin said. "A really good defender. And I think offensive, we've only seen glimpses of what he can do.

"He wasn't necessarily the go-to guy in high school, but he had a solid junior and senior year and put up solid numbers to help them be successful."

Schlabaugh, a 5-foot-10 point guard, played for his father at Williamsburg, which had a good year and reached the state tournament.

"Zach is a true coach's kid," said Martin. "He really understands the game. His up-side is really high."

Martin also signed Erich Schark, a 6-4 forward from St. Louis; Taylor Constable, a 6-4 forward from Indianola; and Colten Schau, a 6-3 guard from Hinton. Constable averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds this season. Schau produced 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists at Hinton.

Coe finished 16-10 last season and returns three starters with Jake Timm, Christian Fahey and Matt Vonderhaar.

"It's going to be fun, seeing the competition in practice," Martin said. "With the new guys, there are a couple of guys we expect to play right away.

"All those guys are capable," he said. "There are going to be some battles in practice and we're looking forward to that competition.

"It's great to have the fresh faces with this new class. I know they're hungry and eager to show what they can do."