ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University President Dr. James Smith has announced the appointment of Paul Sather as the new NSU Men's Basketball Coach.  The hiring follows the recent retirement of Don Meyer as NSU Men's Basketball Coach effective at the end of the 2009-2010 season.

Sather was one of five finalists for the position and was selected following a national search and formal interview process.

A 1996 NSU graduate, Sather returns to the Wolves' staff after five years as the head coach at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.  He also spent time at NSU as an assistant coach under both Bob Olson and Meyer from 1998 to 2004.

“We are extremely pleased to have Paul Sather return to Northern State University.  With Coach Sather's experience here as a player and former assistant coach, we know that his learning curve, with respect to Northern, will be much less than would be the case for virtually any other candidate,” said Smith.  “We also welcome his enthusiasm and strong winning record as we move forward to a new phase of athletics here at NSU.  Sather now joins a distinguished list of names like Wachs, Olson, and Meyer.  We wish Coach Sather the very best as he begins his era here at Northern State University.”

Sather becomes the 22nd head coach in NSU's 100-plus year history and just the fourth in the past 53 years.

Media Availability:
Coach Sather is currently off campus participating in post-season recruiting.  A formal press conference with Sather and NSU President Jim Smith has been scheduled for Monday, March 22, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the Centennial Room of the NSU Student Center. A live web stream of the press conference will be available on the NSU athletics page www.nsuwolvesathletics.com, or by clicking the “athletics” tab at www.northern.edu.

About Northern State:
Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.