MIDLAND, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball head coach Chris Fowler threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball game Saturday evening. The appearance at Dow Diamond was a familiar setting for SVSU, as the Cardinals' baseball program has played rival Northwood there six times in the annual Dow Diamond Classic.

A graduate of Detroit Country Day, Fowler won a state championship before going on to star at Central Michigan University. He was a four-time team captain for the Chippewas and helped lead them to the 2015 Mid-American Conference regular-season championship.

Following a successful professional playing career overseas and in the NBA G League, Fowler transitioned into coaching. He began his career at Michigan State, where he was part of the Spartans' 2019 Final Four run as well as Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

He has also held coaching positions at Northern Arizona and Western Michigan, helping guide the Broncos to back-to-back MAC Tournament appearances.

Now, Fowler brings his championship pedigree to Saginaw Valley State as the ninth head coach in program history.