Utah State Names Danny Sprinkle New Men’s Basketball Head Coach
Apr 7, 2023, 10:18 AM | Updated: Apr 8, 2023, 1:02 pm
LOGAN, Utah – Danny Sprinkle will be named the 21st coach in Utah State basketball program history after leading the Montana State Bobcats the previous four seasons.
The hire was reported by Utah State basketball play-by-play voice and KSL Sports Zone’s Scott Garrard.
Utah State and Danny Sprinkle have agreed to terms, making Sprinkle the next Head Basketball Coach at USU.
At Montana State, Sprinkle lead the Bobcats to back to back Big Sky Tourney titles with trips to the NCAA Tourney and compiled a 52-18 record over the past two seasons
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) April 7, 2023
RELATED: Interim AD Jerry Bovee Leans On Utah State Brand In Basketball Coaching Search
Under the tutelage of Sprinkle, Montana State improved each season, culminating in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 & 2023. Sprinkle finishes his run at Montana State with an 81-43 overall record.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄!
Welcome our newest Head Coach Danny Sprinkle to the @USUBasketball Family!
➡️ https://t.co/xi3b5Zsfkv#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/fZ98pj08aO
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) April 7, 2023
As a program, the Aggies have won one regular-season Mountain West championship. USU has appeared in the NCAA tournament 23 times with their last win coming in 2001.
Ryan Odom went 44-25 with one NCAA tournament appearance in two seasons with the school.
RELATED: Utah State Guards Sean Bairstow, Max Shulga Enter Transfer Portal
Garrard reports that Sprinkle is expected to finalize a five-year contract with Utah State.
About Danny Sprinkle
Born October 12, 1976, the 46-year-old Sprinkle played his prep basketball at Helena High School in Montana. He played his college basketball at Montana State in nearby Bozeman.
In his first year with the Bobcats, Sprinkle was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 1996. He went on to earn Big Sky All-Conference honors in 1997, finishing as the school’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,497 points. Upon graduation, Sprinkle held the career (263) and season three-point (88) records at Montana State.
“It’s going to be really hard to coach a game without him.”#MSUBobcatsMBB HC Danny Sprinkle on the legacy Jubrile Belo (@jubrilebelo13) is leaving after his four years at Montana State: pic.twitter.com/ZHwzaDSypC
— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) March 18, 2023
Sprinkle began his coaching career in 2000 with Cal State Northridge in the Big West. He spent six seasons with the Matadors before returning to Montana State as an assistant under Brad Huse from 2006-2008.
RELATED: Report: Ryan Odom Expected To Leave Utah State For VCU
In 2008, Sprinkle returned to Northridge, spending five more seasons as an assistant. In 2013, Sprinkle was hired as an assistant by Dedrique Taylor at Cal State Fullerton. Sprinkle spent six seasons with Fullerton and was part of their 2018 NCAA Tournament team.
In 2019, Sprinkle returned to his Alma Mater, accepting the head coaching job at Montana State. Sprinkle’s first game as Head Coach came in the Spectrum against Utah State.
Ironically enough, Sprinkle’s first game as a Head Coach occurred in Logan in 2019; a close game that USU eventually won, 81-73 over Montana State.
In his first year as Head Coach, Sprinkle lead the Bobcats to their first winning record in 10 years.
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) April 7, 2023
The Bobcats won the Big Sky regular season championship under Sprinkle in 2022 with a 27-8 record. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023 by winning the Big Sky tournament championship each year.
Sprinkle was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2022.
KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics can be found here.
