Idaho, women’s basketball coach Newlee part ways

From news services

MOSCOW — The University of Idaho and women's basketball coach Jon Newlee have mutually agreed to part ways, athletic director Terry Gawlik announced Thursday.

"I want to thank Jon for his service to our women's basketball program over the last 15 years," Gawlik said in a university news release. "Jon led Vandal women's basketball to new heights, and we all appreciate the time and effort he gave to our student-athletes and our university."

"I would like to thank the University of Idaho and its leadership for the amazing opportunity to coach the women's basketball team for these past 15 years," Newlee said. "I would also like to thank the student-athletes who have played for me at Idaho. They are the reason why I love this profession. I leave the University of Idaho with fond memories and wish the women's basketball program the very best and continued success.”

“It has always been understood that coaches serve at the pleasure of their administration, and I’ve known that since the beginning,” Newlee added in a Twitter post. “I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and yet, I am excited about finding the next university where I may have a transformational impact on the lives of young women. I have a passion for coaching and am just as motivated today as the day I began my career over 370 victories ago. I am very proud of all my many accomplishments here at Idaho.”

Newlee has been Idaho's head coach since 2008 and finishes as the program's all-time leader in wins with a 257-213 (.547) overall record, including a 167-96 (.635) record in conference games. He was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2019, as well as WAC Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2014. During his tenure, the Vandals won two regular season championships, one in the WAC and one in the Big Sky as well as three tournament championships with two in the WAC and one in the Big Sky. In all, the Vandals earned three trips to the NCAA tournament (2013, ’14 and ’16), back-to-back WNIT appearances, and two WBI appearances.

Idaho went 27-35 under Newlee the past two seasons, including 13-17 this past season.

Off the court, Newlee's teams excelled in the classroom, most recently posting a 3.66 team-wide GPA in the Fall of 2022. He coached over 76 All-Academic honorees, three CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. His 2017-18 squad was sixth in the WBCA Academic Top-25.

“I leave the University of Idaho with fond memories, and wish the women’s basketball program the very best and continued success.”

"Our history of success in women's basketball, the beautiful new ICCU Arena, and the investments we've made to position Idaho as a consistent championship contender make this a very attractive job," Gawlik said. "We look forward to finding the next leader to not only contend for Big Sky Championships but also develop and grow the young women in our program."

A national search for the next Idaho women's basketball coach will begin immediately. Bowlsby Sports Advisors has been retained to assist with the search. All coach inquiries and recommendations on the position should be directed to Kyle Bowlsby at kyle@bowlsbysportsadvisors.com.