Elmhurst University Athletics

Jonathan Zapinski is entering his first season as an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at Elmhurst University in 2026-27.

Zapinski returns to his alma mater after playing for the Bluejays from 2019-2024.
 
Prior to joining the Elmhurst staff, Zapinski served as the graduate assistant and sole assistant coach at the University of Dallas. A native of Dallas, Texas, Zapinski was heavily involved in recruiting at UDallas, successfully recruiting 12 players during his first year. Additionally, Zapinski was responsible for the team’s strength and conditioning program, creating and implementing a training program for the players, while also completing scouting reports and coordinating team travel logistics. Zapinski was a part of the Crusaders team that finished above .500 for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
 
As a player for the Bluejays, Zapinski was a five-time letter-winner and three-time captain at Elmhurst. During his playing career, he earned CCIW Player of the Year honors, was a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American, was named the 2023-24 Region 8 Player of the Year, and earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Third-Team All-American honors. While at Elmhurst, Zapinski became the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots and played significant minutes on three CCIW Tournament championship teams, including the squad that played in National Championship game in 2022.
 
During the 2022 Final Four, Zapinski received one of the highest honors an individual student-athlete can achieve when he was awarded the Elite 90 Award. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at each NCAA championship site.
 
Zapinski earned his bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science and Finance from Elmhurst University in 2023. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas in 2026.