Saul Phillips (basketball) explained

Saul Phillips
Current Title:Head coach
Current Team:Northern State
Current Conference:NSIC
Current Record:92-32
Birth Date:11 October 1972
Birth Place:Reedsburg, Wisconsin, U.S.
Player Years1:1991–1995
Player Team1:Wisconsin–Platteville
Coach Years1:1996–1997
Coach Team1:Wayne State (NE) (assistant)
Coach Years2:1997–1999
Coach Team2:Lake Superior State (assistant)
Coach Years3:1999–2001
Coach Team3:Milwaukee (assistant)
Coach Years4:2004–2007
Coach Team4:North Dakota State (assistant)
Coach Years5:2007–2014
Coach Team5:North Dakota State
Coach Years6:2014–2019
Coach Team6:Ohio
Coach Years7:2019–present
Coach Team7:Northern State
Admin Years1:2001–2004
Admin Team1:Wisconsin (DBO)
Overall Record:307–192
Championships:2 Summit League tournament (2009, 2014)
2 Summit League regular season (2009, 2014)
2 NSIC regular season (2020, 2023)
2 NSIC tournament (2020, 2021)
3 NSIC North Division (2020, 2021, 2023)
Awards:2× Summit League Coach of the Year (2009, 2014)
NSIC North Division Coach of the Year (2021)
NSIC Coach of the Year (2023)

Saul Edward Phillips (born October 10, 1972[1]) is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach of the Northern State Wolves men's basketball team. Phillips is a graduate of University of Wisconsin–Platteville.

Coaching career

North Dakota State University

Phillips got his start at NDSU as an assistant coach under Tim Miles in 2004. When Miles left the school to coach Colorado State in 2007, Phillips was promoted to head coach.[2]

In 2009 Phillips led the North Dakota State Bison to win the Summit League tournament championship and became the first team since Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana–Lafayette) in 1972 to advance to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in their first year of eligibility. On January 17, 2013; Saul Phillips notched his 100th win with the Bison.

Phillips reached the NCAA tournament once again in 2014 after winning the Summit League tournament. Seeded 12th in the NCAA Tournament, the Bison upset 5th seeded Oklahoma in the second round 80–75,[3] then lost to 4th seeded San Diego State 44-63[4] in the third round. He is currently 4th on the all-time wins list in NDSU men's basketball history.

Ohio University

On April 6, 2014, Phillips agreed to become the 18th head coach of the Ohio Bobcats.[5] The 2014–15 Bobcats finished with a 10–20 overall record and only 5 wins in the MAC in spite of the presence of future NBA player Maurice Ndour. In 2015–16 the Bobcats went 23–12 and 11–7 MAC Conference record giving them the #2 seed in the 2016 MAC tournament. Junior Antonio Campbell was named the 2016 MAC Player of the Year after averaging a double-double throughout the season.[6] [7] The Bobcats lost to Buffalo in the semifinal game of the MAC Tournament 74–88.[8] Ohio accepted an invitation to the 2016 College Basketball Invitational. They reached the semifinals but lost to Morehead State.[9] His 2016–17 went 20–10 overall and 11–7 in the MAC which was good for second place.

His last two seasons at Ohio were plagued by player injuries and resulted in 14-17 records both seasons. On March 13, 2019, Phillips' contract was not renewed by Ohio after 5 seasons.[10] One of his successes at Ohio turned out to be offering Jason Preston, who was unrecruited out of high school, a scholarship. Preston was later selected in the 2021 NBA draft.[11]

Northern State University

On June 11, 2019, Phillips was named the head men's basketball coach at Northern State following the departure of Paul Sather[12] In his first season, the Wolves won the NSIC regular season championship and the NSIC tournament championship. However, the postseason was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coaching record

House Hunters

Season 185, episode 7 of HGTV's show House Hunters featured Saul as he and his wife search for a home in Aberdeen, South Dakota.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NCAA® Career Statistics.
  2. Web site: Saul Phillips Named Ohio Men's Basketball Head Coach - OHIOBOBCATS.COM - Ohio Official Athletic Site . www.ohiobobcats.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090138/http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040614aaa.html . 2014-04-07.
  3. Web site: North Dakota State vs. Oklahoma - Game Recap - March 20, 2014 - ESPN.
  4. Web site: North Dakota State vs. San Diego State - Game Recap - March 22, 2014 - ESPN.
  5. Web site: Saul Phillips Named Ohio Men's Basketball Head Coach - OHIOBOBCATS.COM - Ohio Official Athletic Site . www.ohiobobcats.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090138/http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040614aaa.html . 2014-04-07.
  6. Web site: Antonio Campbell Profile. ESPN.
  7. Web site: Junior Forward Becomes Ninth Bobcat to Earn League's Highest Honor. ohiobobcats.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160312095745/http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030916aaa.html. March 12, 2016. mdy-all.
  8. Web site: Buffalo beats Ohio 88-74 to return to MAC title game. ESPN.
  9. Web site: CBI Semifinals Summary. ESPN.
  10. Ohio Athletics Announces Change In Men's Basketball Leadership. Ohio Bobcats. March 13, 2019. March 13, 2019.
  11. News: Mirjam . Swanson . Clippers eager to bet on Ohio’s Jason Preston . . July 30, 2021.
  12. Web site: Saul Phillips named Northern basketball coach.
  13. Web site: Winning in Aberdeen . March 18, 2020.