ISU Bengal

Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: ISU Athletics

Seton Sobolewski, an assistant at UC-Riverside for the past six seasons, has been named by Interim Director of Athletics, Jeff Tingey, as the 12th Head Women's Basketball Coach in Idaho State history, replacing Jon Newlee, who left the Bengals on April 15 to take over the University of Idaho's program.

Sobolewski (so ba LES ski), 30, has been a major part of the Highlander's success in transforming from a Division II program to a Division I program that has a Big West regular season title, two Big West Tournament titles, two NCAA appearances and a near tournament upset of #8 Arizona State in 2007. The last four of those years were spent serving under John Margaritis, who was a former assistant coach at Northern Arizona.

While serving as recruiting coordinator at UC Riverside, Sobolewski recruited and coached in the 2007 Big West Conference Player of the Year, Kemie Nkele. The players brought in during his time as recruiting coordinator earned one Big West Conference Player of the Year award, one Freshman of the Year award, one Defensive Player of the Year award, two Big West Conference tournament MVP awards, four All-Big West Tournament awards, four First-Team All-Big West Conference awards, three Second Team All-Big West Conference awards, seven Honorable Mention All-Big West Conference awards, five All-Big West Freshman Team awards, eight Big West Conference Player of the Week awards and three Big West Academic All-Conference award winners. These awards were won over three seasons.

Sobolewski served one year as an assistant with the men's program at Yavapai Junior College, where the team advanced to the region tournament after going 19-12 for the year. In 2000-01, Sobolewski served as an assistant with the girls' basketball program at Coconino High School in Flagstaff, where he served under Head Coach Jenny Shayani. Coconino improved nine games that year to 15-12 overall.

In coming to Idaho State, Sobolewski takes over one of the top programs in the Big Sky Conference. As the Bengals have qualified for the postseason five times in the past eight seasons, winning regular season titles in 2001 and 2006, winning the conference tournament in 2001 and 2007 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament both of those seasons, the Bengals have also qualified for the WNIT in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

Seton attended Eastern Arizona College, starting on the men's basketball team for two years before moving to Oklahoma Panhandle State University, a Division II school in Goodwell, Oklahoma. There he was selected to the Who's Who in America's Colleges and Universities in 1998. A 2001 graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of sciences degree in Biology with an emphasis in Secondary Education, Sobolewski got his start by serving as a team manager under former Head Coach Meg Sanders for the 1999-2000 season.

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