Drake Diener has been elevated to serve as an assistant athletic director for external relations for Marian University Athletics.
“We’re excited to announce the promotion of Drake and the expansion of his role on campus,” said Director of Athletics Tony Draves. “Drake is synonymous with the Fond du Lac community and we can’t think of anyone better to represent Marian University to our area. We look forward to seeing him develop and cultivate relationships with current and potential partners within the community.”
Diener became a Sabre in 2018 and has served as the head of the men’s basketball program for the past seven seasons. He has helped turn the Sabre men’s basketball program around during his tenure leading the Sabres to the NACC Tournament three of the past four seasons. Marian has posted a winning season in all three seasons they qualified for the postseason. The 2021-22 seasons saw the Sabres finish 19-9, tied for the third-most wins in a single season in program history. The Sabres capped off that campaign with a NACC Tournament Championship to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. Marian made history in that NACC Tournament becoming just the second team in the history of the conference to win three road games in the conference tournament. The following season Marian defeated No. 19 UW-Oshkosh for the first victory over a nationally-ranked team in program history. Under his leadership, eight student-athletes have earned All-Conference recognition and two have been named All-Region, both by D3hoops.com and the NABC. He also played a prominent role in Tyler Gouin (’23) becoming just the second Academic All-American in program history.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity and look forward to working alongside our great staff,” said Diener. “Marian University has been a great place for my family and me for seven years. The chance to expand my role and continue to make a positive impact on our athletic department and the Marian community is very much appreciated.”
Prior to Marian, Diener played 12 seasons of professional basketball overseas in Italy. During his professional playing career, Diener played for nine different teams earning Italian League Championships in 2008 and 2014. The 2013-14 season saw him earn Italian League Most Valuable Player honors. Diener also led his team to a Euroleague Final Four appearance in 2008 and was the active all-time leading scorer in Italian Serie A prior to his departure.
Diener obtained his bachelor’s degree in education from DePaul University and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2025. As a Blue Demon, he graduated the all-time leading three-point scorer and recorded the highest career free-throw percentage in program history. In his junior season, Diener averaged 12.6 points per game, third on the squad, leading DePaul to a conference championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Demons earned the No. 7 seed in the West region in the tournament and defeated No. 10 Dayton in the opening round 76-69 behind a game-high 28 points from Diener. DePaul would be knocked out by the eventual NCAA Tournament champion, the University of Connecticut, in the second round. Diener then went on to earn third team all-conference honors as a senior after playing in all 31 games and ranking second on the team with 14.2 points per game with 2.8 assists per game, all while serving as a team captain.
Off of the court, Diener was named an Academic All-American three times, the Conference USA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice, and the National Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2015. Following his playing career with DePaul, he spent one season as a graduate assistant for the program where he analyzed video of potential recruits and assisted in the organization of daily activities for the men’s basketball program.
