The North Idaho College Athletics Department announced that Corey Symons has been named the head men’s basketball coach at North Idaho College. Symons replaces Jared Phay, who accepted the head coaching position at the College of Southern Idaho earlier this month. Symons has been the team’s assistant coach for 10 years and interim head coach since Phay’s departure.

“Corey is known as a great recruiter, but he is also an experienced coach,” said Al Williams, NIC athletics director. “He has a good feel for the game as a former college player and he understands how to develop athletes. Corey is a hard worker and was instrumental in recruiting most of the current roster. He has earned the chance to guide our men’s basketball program, and I believe he is ready for the challenge.”

Prior to coaching at NIC, Symons was the assistant varsity coach at Post Falls High School from 1999 to 2003. Before that, he was the head coach at Bellevue Christian in Washington.

Symons redshirted at NIC in 1993 and then went on to play at Blue Mountain Community College and Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash. Symons averaged 16 points per game in his final season and was team captain at Northwest University, where he graduated with a business degree. After college, Symons played for a select international team in France.

Symons has been instrumental in the success of the NIC program, and was heavily involved in the recruiting process for several highly touted student-athletes that helped NIC earn an NJCAA No. 1 ranking and a consistent spot in the national polls. During Symons tenure as an assistant coach, NIC averaged 22 wins a year, including three Scenic West Athletic Conference championships.

Symons will assume the head coaching responsibilities immediately.

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