Paul Sather hired as new head coach at North Dakota

Paul Sather, who has been the head coach at Division II Northern State (SD) for the last nine seasons, has been hired in the same role with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Sather is 282-151 over 14 years as head coach. This will be his first coaching stop at a Division I program.

“Any hire is about getting the right fit at the right time and I have no doubt that Coach Sather is exactly the right person to lead our program today and into the future,” AD Bill Chaves said on Thursday. “Paul’s success as a head coach at two institutions including his alma mater has been remarkable and I believe that experience will serve us tremendously well as he embarks on his tenure at UND.”

Sather played at NSU and later served as an assistant there under legendary head coach Don Meyer. After a five-year stint at Black Hills State (SD), he returned to his alma mater to take over for Meyer as head coach. He was named Northern Sun COY in each of the last two seasons and his 2017-18 squad finished as D-II National Runner-up.

“Growing up in Minnesota and competing as a player and coach in the Dakotas for over 20 years has made me very familiar with UND Basketball and the strong history and tradition of winning championships,” Sather said in the statement. “It’s the state’s flagship university with tremendous academic programs, beautiful athletic facilities, and most importantly, a passionate community that supports UND basketball.”

credit to North Dakota Athletics for the image