NDSU

Saul Phillips recently completed his sixth season as head men's basketball coach at North Dakota State. He was hired as the 22nd coach in program history on March 26, 2007.

Phillips directed North Dakota State to its first Summit League championship and NCAA Division I tournament appearance in 2009.  He was one of 10 finalists for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year award.

NDSU has been on the rise since graduating four starters from that NCAA team.  The Bison won 11, 14 and 17 games before a 24-win season and Summit League title game appearance in 2013.  NDSU played in the College Basketball Invitational for the second straight year.

Phillips has a 108-77 record through his first six seasons as a collegiate head coach, including a 63-43 record in The Summit League.  The Bison finished 24-10 and placed third in the league with a 12-4 mark last season.

The 41-year-old Phillips was an assistant coach at North Dakota State for three seasons under before being elevated to the head job when Tim Miles was hired by Colorado State.

Before coming to North Dakota State in 2004, Phillips was the director of basketball operations for three years at Wisconsin, where he handled the day-to-day scheduling, coordinated travel, budgeting and on-campus recruiting for Bo Ryan's staff.

Phillips spent two years as an assistant coach under Ryan at Milwaukee (1999-01) and two years as an assistant at Lake Superior State (1997-99) under Marty McDermott.

A native of Reedsburg, Wis., Phillips graduated from Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in business and psychology in 1996. He played basketball for four seasons at UWP under Ryan and was captain of the Pioneers' undefeated national championship team in 1995.

He went on to become a graduate assistant at Wayne (Neb.) State for one season under Greg McDermott.

Phillips and his wife, Nicole, reside in Fargo with their daughter, Jordan, and two sons, Charlie and Benjamin.

The Phillips File
Age: 41
Born: October 11, 1972
Hometown: Reedsburg, Wisconsin
Spouse: Nicole
Children: One daughter, Jordan, and two sons, Charlie and Benjamin
Education: Bachelor's degree in business and psychology, Wisconsin-Platteville, 1996