Tony Natali
Tony Natali
Head Coach Track and Field
Assistant Coach Men's Basketball
Office: Wiekamp 113
Phone Number: 574.257.3478
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Coach Tony Natali, who also serves as the head track coach at Bethel, enters his seventh season with the Pilots basketball program. The Purdue graduate also has been a Division I assistant at Bowling Green University. He has also served at the University of Indianapolis, Franklin College and Marian College.
Coach Natali’s responsibilities include transportation arrangements and hotel accommodations for the Pilots. The men’s basketball team has traveled to the Bahamas, Alaska, California and this year to Palm Beach, Florida. His arrangements give the players an opportunity to see and visit many places they might not otherwise have the possibility of visiting.
“Bethel feels that seeing and visiting other places adds to the academic experience. It also builds team unity as we travel,” says Coach Natali. "Not only does the team chemistry grow, but Bethel has played in some of the greatest college tournaments in the country. Since I came to Bethel, the trips we take as a team have been great. It adds so much to our players’ college experience.”
Coach Natali also works closely with the academic success of the Pilot players. The rich educational tradition also has produced even more academic All-Americans. “We are committed that every player in our program graduates and that is exactly what we do,” added Head Coach Mike Lightfoot.
Coach Natali might be a great trivia question for the coaching archives. He has been a part of coaching staffs that have been in the NIT, NCAA, NAIA and NCCAA national finals. It would be hard to find anyone else in the country who can boast of that.
Coach Natali’s love for basketball is only matched by his love for mentoring the players at Bethel. He cares about them as people, and the players know it.
Tony and his wife Andrea live in Mishawaka with their two daughters, Cassie and Hannah.
