Some updates on a few DII searches – both schools from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference…

• SIMON FRASER: I have heard that there are two leaders for this one – the first NCAA school in Canada. Great sources are telling me that American University assistant Nate Philippe and HS coach Virgil Hill are the ones to watch here. Philippe, a native Canadian has been at American for the past two years, and has also been an assistant at Maine and North Dakota. He also is the former head coach at West Hill Collegiate Institute (Ontario). Hill is currently the head coach at the Collingwood School in Canada. He is a Simon Fraser alum who has also been the head coach at Laurentian University (Ontario).

• WESTERN OREGON: The search to replace Brady Bergeson who departed for Regis (Colorado) is starting to heat up. Three names that I have heard surrounding this one are: Mike Burns (former assistant at San Diego). Jim Shaw (assistant coach St. Mary’s), and Jeff Hironaka (associate head coach Portland State). Burns had been at USD for the past seven seasons, and has also been the head coach at Eastern Washington and an assistant at Washington State. Shaw is a Western Oregon alum who has also been an assistant at Washington, Oklahoma, St. Louis, Montana State, Southern Utah, and Idaho State. Hironaka is the former head coach at Seattle Pacific (a fellow GNAC school), and was a two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award winner. He has also been an assistant at Washington State.

• Big day for HoopDirt on Wednesday…more to come soon!