Chris VanderHyde is entering his third season as the lead assistant for the Gustavus men's basketball team. 

VanderHyde was an assistant coach under Mark Hanson for five seasons prior to being named the lead assistant for Justin DeGrood in 2022. 

Last year, the Gustie men's basketball team had an historical season, winning the 2024 MIAC Playoff Championship after an epic postseason run. VanderHyde helped head coach Justin DeGrood to his first postseason victory with an 85-80 win over Bethel in the MIAC quarterfinal, defeating the Royals for the first time all year after dropping both regular season match-ups. On the road against Carleton in the semifinals, the Gusties and Knights played in the highest-scoring MIAC playoff game in conference history, winning 124-116 in double overtime.

In the title game, despite being outscored 43-34 in the second half, and 10-6 in the final minutes of play, Hamline's buzzer-beater came up short, giving the Gusties a one-point victory in the title game, 72-71. The playoff title was the first for the Gusties since 2005. The Gusties fell to Loras in the first round of the national tournament, finishing the season 18-11 overall and 14-6 in the MIAC, the best record in a dozen years.

Prior to arriving at Gustavus, VanderHyde was the head girl's basketball coach at Park Center where he compiled a record of 100-25 and led the team to two AAA state championships and two AAAA state tournament appearances. He also served as an assistant at MIAC competitor Bethel for five years. 

VanderHyde, a 2002 graduate of Hope College, has a strong background in education, including 20 years of classroom teaching, 12 years of MIAC coaching, and 10 years of coaching at the high school level. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, VanderHyde also serves as the strength and conditioning coach for both the men's basketball and gymnastics teams.Â