University of North Dakota head men’s basketball coach Paul Sather announced the hiring of Estevan Sandoval to serve as the program’s director of basketball operations on Thursday.
“We’re excited about adding Estevan to our staff,” said Sather. “He’s a great fit and has a tremendous background for our Director of Basketball Operations position. His experience at the NCAA Division I level at New Mexico along with his junior college experience as an assistant made him the right choice for North Dakota men’s basketball.”
Sandoval arrives at North Dakota following a stint as an assistant coach at Western Texas, where he spent one season. There, he helped the Westerners finish with a 15-8 record and advance to the NJCAA Region V Championship.
“I am honored and excited about the opportunity to work with Coach Sather and his staff as Director of Basketball Operations at North Dakota,” said Sandoval. “The reputation of integrity, humility and culture within his program is something I’m excited to learn from and help foster.”
Prior to his stint at Western Texas, he spent one season at Gillette College, helping lead the Pronghorns 26-6 record in his first season, sending three players to the Division I level after the 2019-20 season (Bradley Akhile, Tarig Eisa, and Mason Archambault). Archambault and Akhile were both All-Region IX Second Team honorees. Sandoval’s primary responsibilities included recruiting, player development, scouting, and other tasks pertaining to the success of the program.
Sandoval carries with him experience at the Division I level, having served as both a student manager and graduate assistant with New Mexico from 2013-2019. While with the Lobos, his primary roles were assisting with film/film breakdown, travel, stats, meals, while also overseeing the teams’ six managers. He assisted with social media platforms, Sixth Man booster club, camps and video. In addition, Sandoval assisted coaches with scouting reports and compiled recruiting databases while assisting with recruit scheduling.
He earned his undergraduate degree in 2017 from New Mexico in business administration and completed his graduate degree in physical education with a concentration in sports administration from UNM in 2019.
Sandoval is a native of Santa Fe, N.M.
Sandoval hired as Director of Men’s Basketball Operations North Dakota
Photo Courtesy North Dakota Athletics
