Years at BYU
Women's Basketball Assistant Coach: 2023-Present
John Wardenburg Women's Basketball Staff Profile
Men's Basketball Assistant Coach: 2001-2010
Boasting a 20-year, championship-filled coaching resume, John Wardenburg has been a key part of BYUs success since first coming to Provo in 2001.
Wardenburg joined the Cougar coaching staff as an assistant coach in May 2001 under former BYU coach Steve Cleveland before serving the past four seasons with current Cougar head coach Dave Rose. Wardenburg and Rose have a long coaching history together. Wardenburg served as an assistant to Rose at Dixie State College and before joining Rose as an assistant on Cleveland's staff at BYU.
On Roses staff the past four seasons, Wardenburg has helped the Cougars earn four-straight 20 wins seasons and a 97-34 overall record while recording back-to-back outright Mountain West Conference Championships in 2007 and 2008 and sharing the title in 2009 the program's first string of three-straight titles since 1932-34. BYU has also appeared in the national top-25 polls and reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. The last time the Cougars were ranked in three-consecutive seasons was in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and the previous Cougar team to be ranked was in 1993. During their first season with Rose at the helm in 2005-06, BYU became the nation's second-most improved team with a 20-9 overall record.
Wardenburg's primary responsibilities on the staff have included defensive skill development, game film preparation, defensive game plan preparation, summer basketball camp director and recruiting. His efforts on the defensive end helped the Cougars finish the 2008-09 season ranked first in the MWC and 11th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense. BYU was also second in the league in steals and rebounding margin. In 2007-08 the Cougars were the 11th-ranked team in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a combined 38.9 percent on the year. In addition to field-goal percentage defense in 2007-08, the Cougars were also the MWC's top team in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.300) and had the largest margin on the boards, grabbing 4.3 more rebounds per game than their opponents.
Prior to coming to BYU, Wardenburg had 13 years of coaching experience at the high school and junior college levels. He compiled a 105-62 record in seven years as a head coach at Payson High School (1988-93) and Pine View High School (1999-01) while guiding his teams to five league titles and seven state tournament berths. In those seven years, his teams earned three fifth-place state tournament finishes, one third-place finish and a 3A Utah State Championship with his 2001 Pine View team.
After Wardenburg's Payson teams claimed three league titles and posted a 76-43 overall record, he served as an assistant coach from 1993-97 at Dixie State College under current BYU head coach Dave Rose and helped the Rebels to a 95-31 record and a national ranking as high as No. 2. Wardenburg left coaching for two years to serve as Dixies Director of Athletics. He returned to coaching as the head coach at Pine View High School in St. George where he recorded two highly successful seasons before joining BYUs staff in 2001.
Wardenburg's Pine View teams won the league title in both seasons he was the coach while achieving a 29-19 record. Wardenburg earned 3A Coach of the Year honors in 2000 after coaching his team to a third-place state finish and was named Championship Coach of the Year in 2001 after guiding his team to the state title.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wardenburg was a multi-sport athlete at Kiel High School in Kiel, Wis. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to The Netherlands from 1977-79 and earned a BA in political science from BYU in 1986 and an MA in health, physical education and recreation from Utah State in 1992.
Wardenburg and his wife, Pam, have four sons, Scott (Laura), Jonathan (Natalie), Adam and Barrett, and two granddaughters.
Coach Rose on Wardenburg:
"I have worked with John for many years, including our four years at Dixie College. I have a lot of confidence in John and in what he brings to our coaching staff. He is a tireless worker who loves the game. He has done a great job working with our defense since coming to BYU and has very good recruiting relationships with high school coaches."
John Wardenburg Coaching Experience
BYU, Assistant Coach, 2001-Present
Pine View (Utah) High School, Head Coach, 1999-2001
Dixie State College, Assistant Coach, 1993-97
Payson (Utah) High School, Head Coach, 1988-93
Pleasant Grove (Utah) High School, Assistant Coach, 1986-88
John Wardenburg Administrative Experience
Dixie State College, Director of Athletics, 1997-1999