Paul Sather

Paul Sather
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNorth Dakota
ConferenceSummit League
Record61–94 (.394)
Biographical details
Born (1971-08-28) August 28, 1971 (age 53)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Playing career
1990–1994Northern State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1996–1997Sidney HS (assistant)
1997–1998Wayne State (NE) (GA)
1998–2004Northern State (assistant)
2004–2005Colorado (assistant)
2005–2010Black Hills State
2010–2019Northern State
2019–presentNorth Dakota
Head coaching record
Overall343–245 (.583)
Tournaments3–2 (NAIA)
5–3 (NCAA Division II)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 NSIC North Division (2018, 2019)
2 NSIC regular season (2018, 2019)
2 NSIC tournament (2018, 2019)
2 DAC (2009, 2010)
Awards
2× NSIC Coach of the Year (2018, 2019)
NABC Central Region Coach of the Year (2018)
DAC Coach of the Year (2009)

Paul Sather (born August 28, 1971) is an American college basketball coach, currently head men's basketball coach at the University of North Dakota.

Sather, from Princeton, Minnesota, played college basketball for Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota from 1990 to 1994. Following his college career, he entered coaching, first as an assistant coach at Sidney High School in Nebraska, then as a graduate assistant at Wayne State College under Greg McDermott, where he also obtained a master's degree in sports administration. In 1998, Sather returned to Northern State as an assistant coach, where he served for six years. For the 2004–05 season, Sather joined Ricardo Patton’s staff at Colorado.[1]

In 2005, Sather was named head coach of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.[2] In his five seasons at Black Hills State, he led the Yellow Jackets to a 94–62 record. His 2008–09 team went 30–5, setting a school season record for wins.[3] In the 2008–09 season, he also won the DAC Coach of the Year.[4]

Sather was then hired to lead the program at his alma mater, Northern State, replacing Don Meyer. His teams went 188–89 in nine seasons. During this time, Sather won back to back Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) coach of the year awards and the Wolves played in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division II tournament, narrowly losing to Ferris State.[5] That team finished 36-4 and set a school record for single season wins and consecutive wins with 18.[6]

On May 30, 2019, Sather was announced as the new head coach for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks of the Summit League.[7] He picked Jamie Stevens and Zach Horstman, who were assistants under him at Northern State, as assistant coaches.[8] During his first season, Sather led the Fighting Hawks to the Summit League tournament championship game for the first time in school history, subsequently losing to North Dakota State.[9] On March 14, 2023, it was announced that Sather was hired to a two year extension through the 2025-26 season.[10]

He has two children, Sam and Becca, and a wife named Kelsie.

  1. ^ "Sather named head men's basketball coach". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. May 30, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Centineo, Peter (March 30, 2005). "Paul Sather named head coach at Black Hills State University". Black Hills Pioneer. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. ^ Holland, Jim (March 18, 2010). "Sather to resign as BHSU men's basketball coach, replace Meyer at Northern State". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Nordbye, Jake (March 24, 2009). "Men's basketball: Jackets remember their best season". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Borg, Zach (May 30, 2019). "Paul Sather Leaves Northern State To Take Over At North Dakota". kild.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Miller, Tom (May 30, 2019). "Sather says becoming UND men's basketball coach an 'incredible honor'". Jamestown Sun. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Miller, Tom (May 30, 2019). "UND names Northern State's Paul Sather as next head men's basketball coach". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Paul Sather rounds out coaching staff with pair of hires". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. July 2, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. ^ Zimmer, Matt (9 March 2020). "Summit League tournament: It'll be North Dakota vs. North Dakota State for men's title". Argus Leader. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  10. ^ Miller, Tom (14 March 2023). "UND coach Paul Sather signs extension through 2025-26 season". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2023.