Thanks to a great source who had HoopDirt.com way out in front of this one (Daily Dirt – 5/14/18) – it’s now been made official that Andy Newman, the winningest men’s basketball coach ever at the University of Texas of Permian Basin, has been named to lead Cal State San Bernardino’s program.
“Andy Newman is nationally recognized as one of the best basketball head coaches in Division II. He demonstrates all that we are looking to accomplish at CSUSB. Andy has developed a program that succeeds at the highest levels on the court while ensuring the young men develop into men of strong character with their degree in hand. In a word, Andy is a winner,” said CSUSB Athletic Director Shawn Farrell. “It was clear throughout the search that Andy was the consensus choice of all that had the opportunity to meet him. We are incredibly excited to work together to bring Coyote basketball back to national prominence.”
Newman is looking forward to bringing his brand of basketball to CSUSB.
“I’m really, really excited about the opportunity to be at Cal State San Bernardino,” Newman said. “I’m really fired up about getting in there and implementing an exciting brand of basketball where we score a lot of points. I want to implement a winning culture of basketball and graduating student athletes. Those two things are very important to me.”
At Division II UTPB, located in Odessa, Texas, Newman’s teams have had five straight winning seasons, racking up 101 wins. In that time, the Falcons have been to the postseason every year, and this past season advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament for the second year in a row. UTPB entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region, though they lost to West Texas A&M in the South Central Region Championship Game.
Among his other accomplishments at UTPB:
- Set school record for wins in a season with 26 in (2016-17 and 2017-2018);
- 2017 Lone Star Conference regular season champion;
- 2017 Lone Star Conference Tournament champion;
- 2017 Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year;
- Recruited eight all-conference players, including the 2016-17 and 2017-18 South Central Player of the Year;
- Had eight players earn a 3.0 grade-point average or higher this fall (2017-18); and
- Graduated 18 of 20 seniors in four years.
Newman is no stranger to California or the California State University. Prior to coaching the Falcons, Newman was at Division I Cal State Fullerton for 10 years, nine as the associate head coach, and one year as the interim head coach where under his leadership, despite losing an unprecedented six core players to season-ending injuries, the team still had some noteworthy accomplishments. With an overall record of 14-18, the Titans led the conference in scoring, at 76.9 points per game, 17th in the nation; second in the conference in field goal percentage at 47 percent, 23rd in the nation; and first in the conference in 3–point field goals at 8.3, 15th in the nation.
Prior to Cal State Fullerton, Newman served as the basketball operations coordinator for a season at Division I Fresno State. Coaching for the 2002-03 Western Athletic Conference champions, he gave individual instruction to guard and post players, assisted in recruiting and scheduling, and broke down film.
Newman started his coaching career as an assistant at Vanguard University for one season before serving in the same capacity for two seasons at West Valley Community College in Saratoga, California, where he started his collegiate playing career.
A 1998 graduate of Azusa Pacific University with a degree in business finance, he helped the Cougars win 30-plus games with a trip to the NAIA Final Four in 1998. Prior to his one season at Azusa Pacific, he spent a year at Southern Utah University where he led the Thunderbirds in minutes and assists. He earned his master’s in coaching and athletic administration degree from Concordia University.
Newman’s wife, Kellie, also has roots in California. She grew up in Lancaster and played for the women’s soccer team at Cal State Fullerton. The couple have two children, Luke, 5, and Kade, 3, who Newman described as “extraordinary T-ball players. We’re keeping it in the family.”
Newman succeeds Jeff Oliver, who resigned in March after leading the Coyotes for 16 seasons, compiling a 294-154 record that included six CCAA championships as well as postseason tournament titles in 2009 and 2010.
