Gregg Gottlieb, who has 19 years of coaching experience at the Division I level and has helped lead his team to postseason play in 11 of the past 13 seasons, will join the Oregon State men’s basketball program as an assistant coach, Wayne Tinkle announced Tuesday.
“We are glad to be adding Gregg Gottlieb to our staff,” Tinkle said. “He brings instant credibility on the recruiting trails. Having worked at California for the last seven years and San Diego State, he was part of two rebuilding staffs at both of those places. He has an impeccable reputation, especially in Southern California and throughout the West. More than just being a recruiter, he’s very good on the court as well, both in practice, workout and game situations. So we really feel like he’s a great addition to the Beaver basketball program.”
Gottlieb, 42, began his coaching career at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1994, had a two-season stop at Sacramento State from 1997-99, worked at San Diego State from 1999-07 and spent the last seven years at California. His teams have earned six NCAA Tournament berths and five trips to the NIT.
“We have a job to do beginning now to change the culture and perception of Beaver basketball,” Gottlieb said. “The facilities at Oregon State are as good as anywhere in the country, especially the basketball practice facility, Sports Performance Center and Beth Ray Center for Academic Support. Coach Tinkle has a vision for moving this program forward, and we are ready to roll up our sleeves and work hard every day to make it happen.”
Gottlieb spent the past seven years at the University of California, working under Ben Braun for the first season and Mike Montgomery, who recently retired, the final six. The Golden Bears went 147-89 during Gottlieb’s seven years in Berkeley, including five 20-win seasons, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times and the NIT three times.
A native of Orange, Calif., Gottlieb oversaw the recruiting efforts for California. Some of the student-athletes he recruited to Berkeley include All-Pac-10 performer and 2012 NBA Most Improved Player Ryan Anderson, 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jorge Gutierrez, 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year and 2011 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Allen Crabbe, and three-time All-Pac-12 selection Justin Cobbs.
“I’m really pleased for Gregg and really pleased for Wayne,” Montgomery said. “Gregg is a great addition to Wayne’s staff. He has Pac-12 experience and will be able to find players who will be the right fit for Oregon State and help the program move forward. I think Corvallis is a great place for Gregg and Mandy to raise their children as he continues his coaching career.”
From 1999-07, Gottlieb was an assistant coach under Steve Fisher at San Diego State and helped turn a program around that has advanced to postseason play in 11 of the past 13 years. The turnaround began in 2001-02 when the Aztecs won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, the school’s first postseason bid in 17 years.
San Diego State went 24-9 during the 2005-06 season, while winning the Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five years. The Aztecs advanced to the second round of the NIT in 2003 and 2007.
“Gregg is extremely intelligent, very loyal and very passionate about coaching and teaching,” Fisher said. “He’s the son of a coach so he’s grown up around this business and world. He has brought great success to every program he’s been associated with and every program was in better shape when he left them. He can do everything and will be a tremendous addition to Oregon State. He and Mandy and their family will be a great addition to the community and represent the program in a first-class manner.”
Gottlieb began his coaching career as an assistant in 1994 at Cal Poly and helped lead one of the most-improved teams in the nation as they improved from a one-win program in 1994-95 to a 16-win team in 1995-96. In 1997, he moved to Sacramento State University where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Before moving on to college, Gottlieb was a standout basketball player at El Modena High School in Orange, Calif., where he graduated in 1990. He played two seasons at Drake University in Iowa before returning to California to complete his studies at UCLA. Gottlieb earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in history with a minor in business in 1995 and his M.B.A. from Cal Poly in 1997.
His father, Bob, was a volunteer assistant coach under Ralph Miller at Oregon State during the 1983-84 season
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