University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Bill Chaves announced on Tuesday that Head Men’s Basketball Coach Paul Sather has received a contract extension through the 2025-26 season.
“We are at a critical juncture in Division I men’s basketball and making sure that we have tremendous stability is key as we continue to grow with a very talented core group of student-athletes,” said Chaves. “I know Paul and I are excited about what is to come for our program.”
Sather completed his fourth season at the helm of the Fighting Hawks in 2022-23, helping mold a young core that reached its peak during the final month to win six of its final nine games to reach the quarterfinal round of the Summit League Tournament.
Over his career at North Dakota, Sather has produced multiple all-conference selections, including the program’s first All-Summit League First Team honoree Marlon Stewart in 2019-20 as well as two Summit League Freshman of the Year selections.
“I’d like to thank President Armacost and our Director of Athletics Bill Chaves for the opportunity to sign an extension here at the University of North Dakota as the head men’s basketball coach,” said Sather. “My staff and I are extremely grateful for their shared belief in our vision for North Dakota Basketball and the future of this program. We had a strong finish to the regular season this year with a young team and look to build on that success as we move into next year.”
The Princeton, Minn., native became only the third coach in Summit League history to reach the tournament title game in their first year as the bench boss, while also picking up a win over Big Ten foe Nebraska, the first for the program since 1933, before navigating a global pandemic the next season en route to the highest Summit League finish for UND since joining the league.
Off the court, Sather’s teams have received multiple academic distinctions as well as pacing the entire Division I in community service hours by a men’s basketball program.