Northwest Notes April 18, 2023

NC State assistant named NIC men's soccer coach

COEUR d'ALENE — North Idaho College athletic director Shawn Noel has announced Brad Williams as NIC head men’s soccer coach.

“I am excited to welcome Brad and his family to North Idaho College,” Noel said in a news release. “His soccer experience coupled with his commitment to academic excellence and track record of building a winning program makes me 100% confident in his ability to lead our men’s soccer program.”

Williams was most recently assistant coach at North Carolina State. Williams has coached at the NCAA Division I, II, III and junior college levels. 

Williams replaces Ken Thompson, who coached the NIC men the past 12 seasons.

A former goalkeeper for Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., Williams set multiple program records during his collegiate career. Williams also played internationally with Team Bath F.C. and domestically in the United Soccer League.

In 2009, Williams entered the coaching ranks as an assistant for both the men’s and women’s programs at Cal State Chico before transitioning to a similar role at Cal State Bakersfield the following year. He also had coaching stints at Napa Valley College, Feather River College and Southwestern Oregon Community College, where he helped Southwestern Oregon to the 2018 NWAC Southern Region title and back-to-back Elite 8 appearances in 2018 and 2019.

Williams also has experience coaching for some of the nation’s premier clubs and served as an associate staff instructor for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/United Soccer Coaches.

Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Saint Francis and his master’s in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine.

Gonzaga officially announces addition of EWU transfer Venters

SPOKANE — Steele Venters, a transfer from Eastern Washington, has signed a financial aid agreement to attend Gonzaga University and will join the men's basketball team for the 2023-24 season.

“Steele is a great addition to the program,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a news release. “He is our kind of guy. He did an incredible job at Eastern and was a big part of a successful winning program. I love that he is a hard worker and has made himself better of these years. I think he can be a real major contributor to this year’s team.”

Venters, a 6-foot-7 wing, was named Big Sky Player of the Year last season as a redshirt sophomore. He has two years of eligibility remaining in his college career. The Ellensburg, Wash., native, started all 67 games for the Eagles each of the past two seasons.

Venters averaged 15.3 points and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23, after putting up 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and shooting 43.4 percent from behind the arc in 2021-22. Venters scored at least 20 points on eight occasions, including a 33-point effort in a win over North Dakota State. He also had 27 points in a win at Washington State during the first round of the NIT.

Venters helped lead Eastern Washington to the Big Sky regular-season title, a run that included an 18-game winning streak from December to late February, which was the longest win streak in the nation at the time.

Venters graduated from Ellensburg High in 2019. He averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game as a senior, including a career-high of 37 points and four other games with at least 30 points. He was first-team Associated Press 2A All-State selection as a junior when he averaged 26 points per game, and averaged 13 as a sophomore. Venters scored over 1,200 points in his high school career.

Former Whitworth coach Logie named Montana State basketball coach

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Matt Logie, a coach with championship pedigree rooted in the Northwest, was Montana State men's basketball coach, athletic director Leon Costello announced Monday.

Logie comes to Montana State after four seasons at Point Loma in California, where his teams rolled up an 82-23 record with three conference championships. His 12 seasons as a head basketball coach includes eight at Whitworth University in Spokane (2011-19). His Pirates compiled a 194-35 record, and his 276-58 career mark in 12 seasons is good for an .826 winning percentage, third-best among active coaches at four-year schools.

"Matt brings a highly successful basketball background as a player and coach," Costello said. "He is a proven winner demonstrated by his exceptional coaching record, a dynamic program builder, and a relentless student of the game. He has a clear vision and plan to continue to build on the momentum of Bobcat Basketball. I am excited about our future of Bobcat Basketball with Matt at the helm."

Logie replaces Danny Sprinkle, who was recently named Utah State coach after coaching at Montana State the past four seasons.

"Having followed the recent success of the program under coach (Danny) Sprinkle, it was very clear that Bobcat basketball is on an upward trajectory and is extremely exciting," Logie said.

In his 12 seasons as a head coach Logie led his teams to seven regular season conference championships and five tourney titles.

"It starts and ends with culture," Logie said. "We have prided ourselves in relationship building, with student-athletes and people in the athletic department and the community. That, combined with a sound process and core values that we believe in, are the tenets of the success we've enjoyed. When you look at Montana State, the blue collar, chip-on-the-shoulder approach they've had success with matches my journey in the game. We're excited to pour into the relationships with former and current players."

A 2003 graduate of Lehigh, Logie finished his playing career (1999-2003) with 1,524 career points, seventh-most in Mountain Hawks history. He began his coaching career at Lehigh as Director of Operations in 2003-04 before being elevated to assistant coach (2004-06 and 2007-09) and then associate head coach (2009-11). He also worked as operations director at Kent State in 2006-07. While at Lehigh, Logie helped recruit 2013 NBA draft choice CJ McCollum, now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Logie capped his four seasons at Point Loma in 2022-23 with a 29-4 season, including a 20-0 PacWest Conference record. His Sea Lions teams won PacWest regular season titles in 2022 and 2023, and won the league tournament in 2020 and 2023. Logie's Whitworth teams never finished lower than second in the Northwest Conference, winning the league regular season crown five times.