Black Hills State University head men’s basketball coach, Ryan Thompson, has announced the addition of Chris Gold as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join Black Hills State University and work for a great young basketball mind, in Coach Thompson,” said Gold. “I grew up watching the RMAC, and am very excited for the opportunity to develop a great group of student-athletes and work to elevate the Yellow Jacket basketball program alongside Coach Thompson. Spearfish is a great college town with one of the most beautiful campuses, and top facilities, in the RMAC.”

Gold comes to BHSU from Boise State University, where he worked under head coach Leon Rice from 2016-18. Gold recently completed his Master’s Degree in Athletic Leadership and was heavily involved in player development, scouting, and rebounding. Boise State ranked number one in defensive rebounding for the 2017-2018 season according to KenPom.com. The Broncos were seventh in the nation in rebounding margin, and led the Mountain West in 4 of the 5 rebounding categories. Gold was fortunate to work closely with Boise State’s former Associate Head Coach and current professional player development trainer, Phil Beckner, in the development of several professional players including Chandler Hutchison, Christian Sengfelder, and Lexus Williams during his time at Boise State.

Prior to Boise State, Gold spent four seasons as the top assistant at Snow Junior College (2012-2016) in Utah under Rob Nielson. In that time, Snow finished runner up in the Region 18 Conference tournament. While at Snow, he recruited, developed, and assisted over 20 players that would graduate from Snow College and move on to play at 4-year programs. Gold helped bring in a recruiting class at Snow that went on to win the Scenic West Athletic Conference. The Badgers were 70-49 during his time at Snow.

Gold got his start in college basketball at the Division 1 level where he served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Weber State University (2010-2012) under Randy Rahe. The Wildcats were 55-21 in his time at Weber State, and he had the opportunity to coach and work with several professional players including Damian Lillard, Scott Bamforth, Kyle Tresnak, Davion Berry, and Lindsey Hughey.

Gold volunteered for the Denver Nuggets during the 2009-2010 season.

He played point guard at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan., and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. He student assisted for the 2008-2009 season at KWU.

“I am thrilled about adding Coach Gold to our coaching staff. His past experiences have shaped him into a professional that understands all the components that go into building a successful program,” said Coach Thompson. “Coach Gold has earned a strong reputation for player development and recruitment throughout the Rocky Mountain Region that will benefit our program. We look forward to welcoming Chris, MarKay, and Harper to our Yellow Jacket family.”

A native of Denver, Colorado, Gold graduated from Regis High School in Aurora, Colo.

Chris and his wife MarKay have been married for 4 years and recently welcomed a daughter, Harper, to the family in March.