Paul Sather

Paul Sather
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNorth Dakota
ConferenceSummit League
Record91–132 (.408)
Biographical details
Born (1971-08-28) August 28, 1971
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
Overall373–283 (.569)
Tournaments3–2 (NAIA)
5–3 (NCAA Division II)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As a coach
  • 2 NSIC regular season (2018, 2019)
  • 2 NSIC tournament (2018, 2019)
  • 2 NSIC North Division (2018, 2019)
  • 2 DAC regular season (2009, 2010)
  • DAC tournament (2009)

As a player

  • NSIC regular season (1993)
Awards
  • 2× NSIC Coach of the Year (2018, 2019)
  • NABC Central Region Coach of the Year (2018)
  • DAC Coach of the Year (2009)

Paul Robert Sather (born August 28, 1971) is an American college basketball coach, currently head men's basketball coach at the University of North Dakota.[1]

Early life

Sather, from Princeton, Minnesota, played college basketball for Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota from 1990 to 1994. While there, he helped lead the Wolves to a NSIC regular season championship in 1993, as well as back–to–back appearances in the NAIA Division II national championship game in 1993 and 1994.[2][3]

Coaching career

Early coaching career

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.[4]

Black Hills State

In 2005, Sather was named head coach of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.[5] 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 as well as winning the DAC regular season and tournament championships.[6] In the 2008–09 season, he also won the DAC Coach of the Year.[7] His 2009–10 team finished 21–10, winning the DAC regular season championship with a 10–3 record. The Yellow Jackets would make their second straight appearance in the NAIA Division II tournament, losing in the first round to the Saint Francis Cougars by a score of 86–83.[8] Following the season, four players were named to the DAC All-Conference team, Luke Enos, Cain Atkinson, Will John Johnson, and Clay Pottorff.[9] Will John Johnson was named as the DAC Defensive Player of the Year and Cain Atkinson was named as an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.[9] Luke Enos was also named as the DAC Player of the Year and was named as an NAIA First Team All-American.[9]

In 2023, the 2008–09 team was inducted in the Black Hills State Athletics Hall of Fame.[10]

Northern State

Sather was then hired to lead the program at his alma mater, Northern State, replacing Don Meyer. The Wolves made their first postseason appearance under Sather in 2015, where they would end up losing to Central Missouri in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.[11] During the 2017–18 season, the Wolves finished 36-4 and set a school record for single season wins and consecutive wins with 18, as well as winning the NSIC regular season championship for the first time since the 2002–03 season, the NSIC tournament for the first time since 2005, as well as their first ever NSIC North Division title.[12][3] That season, they made it to the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in school history, narrowly losing to Ferris State by a score of 69–71.[13] Following the season, four players were named to the NSIC All–Conference team and Sather was awarded his first NSIC Coach of the Year award.[3] The Wolves finished the 2018–19 season with a overall record of 26–7 (18–4 NSIC) and won their second consecutive NSIC regular season, tournament, and North Division championship.[3] They also made a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, where they would lose to Southeastern Oklahoma State in the first round by a score of 103–115.[14] Following the season, Sather was named the NSIC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.[3]

During his nine seasons at Northern State, Sather led 18 NSIC All–Conference selections, one Academic All–American, and accumulated an overall record of 188–89.[3]

North Dakota

On May 30, 2019, Sather was announced as the new head coach for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks of the Summit League.[15] He picked Jamie Stevens and Zach Horstman, who were assistants under him at Northern State, as assistant coaches.[16] 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.[17] Earlier that season, he also led the Fighting Hawks to their first win against a Big Ten Conference opponent since 1933, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 75–74.[18] On March 14, 2023, it was announced that Sather was hired to a two year extension through the 2025–26 season.[19] On February 18, 2026, it was announced that Sather received a three year extension through the 2028–29 season.[20] In 2026, the Fighting Hawks made their second appearance in the Summit League tournament championship game, but would lose to North Dakota State by a score of 62–70.[21]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Black Hills State Yellow Jackets (Dakota Athletic Conference) (2005–2010)
2005–06 Black Hills State 17–14 10–4 2nd
2006–07 Black Hills State 10–19 5–9 7th
2007–08 Black Hills State 16–14 8–7 4th
2008–09 Black Hills State 30–5 13–1 1st NAIA Division II Final Four
2009–10 Black Hills State 21–10 10–3 1st NAIA Division II First Round
Black Hills State: 94–62 (.603) 46–24 (.657)
Northern State Wolves (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) (2010–2019)
2010–11 Northern State 12–14 7–14 T–10th
2011–12 Northern State 13–13 9–13 T–8th
2012–13 Northern State 20–11 14–8 T–5th / 2nd (North)
2013–14 Northern State 18–11 13–9 8th / 4th (North)
2014–15 Northern State 23–9 15–7 4th / 2nd (North) NCAA Division II First Round
2015–16 Northern State 18–12 13–9 4th / 2nd (North)
2016–17 Northern State 22–8 17–5 T–2nd / 2nd (North)
2017–18 Northern State 36–4 20–2 1st / 1st (North) NCAA Division II Runner–Up
2018–19 Northern State 26–7 18–4 1st / 1st (North) NCAA Division II First Round
Northern State: 188–89 (.679) 126–71 (.640)
North Dakota Fighting Hawks (Summit League) (2019–present)
2019–20 North Dakota 15–18 7–9 6th
2020–21 North Dakota 9–17 8–8 5th
2021–22 North Dakota 6–25 2–16 10th
2022–23 North Dakota 13–20 6–12 9th
2023–24 North Dakota 18–14 10–6 T–2nd
2024–25 North Dakota 12–21 5–11 T–6th
2025–26 North Dakota 18–17 10–6 3rd
North Dakota: 91–132 (.408) 48–68 (.414)
Total: 373–283 (.569)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Career stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990–91 Northern State 14 0 .86 1.00 0.60 0.07 0.14 0.14 0.90
1991–92 Northern State 6 0 .33 .40 0.66 0.00 0.16 0.33 1.33
1992–93 Northern State 36 18 .58 1.00 .57 3.88 0.94 0.97 0.61 7.16
1993–94 Northern State 34 34 .59 .61 5.58 1.44 0.97 0.55 9.97

Source: [22]

Coaching tree

Assistant coaches under Sather who became NCAA or NBA head coaches

Personal life

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

His son, Sam, played college football as an offensive lineman for the Northern State Wolves from 2021 to 2023 and then for the Dakota State Trojans from 2024 to 2025.[23][24]

References

  1. ^ "Paul Sather". fightinghawks.com. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "Championship History" (PDF). naia.org. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Records" (PDF). nsuwolves.com. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  4. ^ "Sather named head men's basketball coach". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. May 30, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Centineo, Peter (March 30, 2005). "Paul Sather named head coach at Black Hills State University". Black Hills Pioneer. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Nordbye, Jake (March 24, 2009). "Men's basketball: Jackets remember their best season". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "Sawyer-Davis Nets Game-Winner With Two Seconds Left". NAIA. Point Lookout, MO. March 10, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "BLACK HILLS STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL 2022-23 RECORD BOOK" (PDF). bhsuathletics.com. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Bruns, Rylan (June 28, 2024). "2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction". Black Hills State University Foundation. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  11. ^ NSU Sports Information (March 14, 2015). "Northern Unable to Overcome First Half Deficit in Regional Action". nsuwolves.com. Sioux Falls, SD. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  12. ^ Miller, Tom (May 30, 2019). "Sather says becoming UND men's basketball coach an 'incredible honor'". Jamestown Sun. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  13. ^ Borg, Zach (May 30, 2019). "Paul Sather Leaves Northern State To Take Over At North Dakota". kild.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  14. ^ NSU Sports Information (March 16, 2019). "No. 19 Wolves fall in overtime in NCAA Central Region Tournament". nsuwolves.com. Maryville, MO. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Paul Sather rounds out coaching staff with pair of hires". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. July 2, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  17. ^ Zimmer, Matt (March 9, 2020). "Summit League tournament: It'll be North Dakota vs. North Dakota State for men's title". Argus Leader. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  18. ^ Stocker Johnson, Alec (December 21, 2019). "North Dakota holds off Nebraska, 75-74". fightinghawks.com. Lincoln, NE. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  19. ^ Miller, Tom (March 14, 2023). "UND coach Paul Sather signs extension through 2025-26 season". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Stocker Johnson, Alec (February 18, 2026). "Paul Sather inked to three-year extension through 2028-29 season". FightingHawks.com. Grand Forks, ND. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  21. ^ Lichtman, Corey (March 9, 2026). "UND Falls to North Dakota State in Summit League Tournament Championship". fightinghawks.com. Sioux Falls, SD. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  22. ^ "Men's Basketball Statistics". Northern State University Athletics. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Sam Sather". nsuwolves.com. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  24. ^ "Sam Sather". dsuathletics.com. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.