UNI head men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson on announced the hiring of Marc Sonnen as the Panthers’ new fourth full-time assistant coach.
Sonnen, a prolific scorer who played for the Panthers from 2009 to 2013, returns to Northern Iowa after three seasons coaching at the Division II level.
“It is a great day for us to bring back one of our own,” said Jacobson. “Marc played the game with great pride and competitiveness. He is also one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around. He has brought those same qualities to his young coaching career. He will be heavily involved in all aspects of the program. We look forward to Marc’s personality, experiences and knowledge providing an immediate impact on our players, staff and team.”
“We are also increasing the commitment to our student-athletes by adding this new full-time position to our staff,” Jacobson added. “I want to thank Director of Athletics Megan Franklin for her vision and support of this position being added to our program.”
Sonnen spent the past two seasons at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri on the coaching staff of fellow UNI basketball alum Chris Foster. Helping the Panthers to 29 wins in two years, he helped develop five All-Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) athletes, including 2025 Second Team All-GLVC guard Logan Applegate, a pair of all-conference defensive team honorees in Colin Hardrick and Brock Wakefield, as well as All-Freshman Team member Jouk Riak in 2024.
Prior to his time in southern Missouri, Sonnen ventured north to his home state of Minnesota, spending the 2022-23 season at Minnesota Duluth. In his lone season with the Bulldogs, Sonnen helped UMD post a 26-10 record, finishing 16-6 and placing third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s (NSIC) North Division. After a run to the NSIC Tournament championship game, the Bulldogs, led by All-NSIC performers Drew Blair and Charlie Katona, won three games to win the NCAA Central Region title and advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
As a UNI student-athlete, Sonnen played four years under Jacobson, quickly becoming one of the program’s top three-point shooters. Playing a then-school record 139 career games, Sonnen recorded a 41.9% shooting clip from beyond the arc, the second-best percentage in team history at the time of his graduation. His elite skillset helped the Panthers capture the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) regular season and tournament titles in 2010, as well as reach the program’s first-ever NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Sonnen also contributed to postseason appearances for Northern Iowa in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) in 2011 and 2013, as well as the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2012.
Following a professional playing career in Germany and coaching opportunities in Minnesota, Sonnen returned to UNI in 2019 for his first stint on the Panther staff, spending two seasons as a graduate assistant (2019-21) and the 2021-22 campaign as video coordinator.
“Coming back to the University of Northern Iowa is more than a career move — it’s coming home,” Sonnen said. “I’m incredibly grateful to Coach Jacobson for the opportunity to rejoin a program that helped shape who I am today! As a former player and graduate assistant, I know what Panther basketball stands for and I’m fired up to help build on that tradition of success. Go Panthers!”
