OREM, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – Utah Valley did not have to go far to find its next head basketball coach.
UVU athletic director Jared Sumsion, announced today that he has hired assistant coach Todd Phillips as the fourth head coach in UVU men’s basketball’s NCAA Division I history.
Phillips has spent the last four seasons on the Utah Valley staff under Mark Madsen where he served two years as an assistant coach (2019-21) before being promoted to associate head coach in 2021.
Madsen left Utah Valley last week to become the new head coach at Cal.
During his time at UVU, Phillips has helped the team to two Western Athletic Conference regular season championships (2020-21, 2022-23) and an impressive 70-51 record, including 48 wins over the last two seasons.
“I’m incredibly honored and very appreciative of President Tuminez, Jared Sumsion, and the search committee for the opportunity to be the head coach at Utah Valley,” said Phillips. “I love Utah Valley. I love the community and am excited to build on the success that we have already achieved. I want to build a legacy here. We’re going to continue to win, and we are going to win championships.”
“This position garnered unprecedented national attention and I believe it is one of the best mid-major jobs in college basketball,” said Sumsion. “Todd Phillips was the evident choice to lead our program with the upward trajectory he has helped build. Todd has a tremendous basketball mind who understands the game at its deepest level. His recruiting network in this region and beyond is second to none. He has a tremendous ability to develop players and build a synergistic team environment. With two WAC championships and a deep NIT run, his track record at Utah Valley already speaks for itself.”
Phillips helped the Wolverines to their most successful season ever this past year as the team went 28-9 overall and 15-3 in WAC play. The 28 wins are the most wins ever recorded in a single season. Utah Valley also finished the season with a nation-best 12 road wins. Phillips helped UVU to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) with wins at New Mexico, at Colorado, and against Cincinnati at home in the quarterfinals. UVU finished the 2022-23 season with a No. 10 ranking in the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 poll and its best-ever end-of-season rankings in the NCAA NET rankings (58) and on KenPom.com (64).
Phillips spent eight seasons as the head coach at Salt Lake Community College where he compiled a 205-58 (.779) overall record and an 82-32 mark in Scenic West Athletic Conference play.
Phillips led SLCC to a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national title in 2016 as the No. 13 seed in the tournament. His 2015-16 team compiled a 31-8 overall record and finished the season with nine straight wins to claim the national championship. He was named NJCAA Coach of the Year after leading the Bruins to the title. Former Wolverine Conner Toolson was named the NJCAA Tournament MVP under Phillips in 2016.
Prior to his time as head coach of the Bruins, Phillips served three seasons as an assistant coach at SLCC under legendary head coach Norm Parrish. During his time as an assistant coach with SLCC, he helped the Bruins win their first-ever national title in 2009. Phillips also spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Westminster College in Salt Lake beginning in 2000. During his time at Westminster, he helped the Griffins to eight 20-plus win seasons, six conference titles, and six NAIA National Tournament berths.
Phillips will be formally introduced at a press conference next week.
