Monday, April 20, 2015

LACEY, Wash. – After a nationwide search Eastern Washington University assistant coach Alex Pribble has been selected as the new head men's basketball coach at Saint Martin's University.

"We had more quality candidates for the position than at any time in school history," said Saint athletic director Bob Grisham.

"The search committee gave a strong recommendation for Coach Pribble. He brings with him the tremendous credentials and energy to take the program to new heights," Grisham said.  "I appreciate the hard work and support by the search committee in this process and we are thrilled that Coach Pribble has accepted the job." 

Pribble served as an assistant at Eastern and helped the Eagles finish 26-9 overall and 14-4 in the Big Sky Conference to share the regular-season title with University of Montana.

Eastern swept through three games in the Big Sky Conference tournament to garner the school's second NCAA tournament appearance in school history. The Eagles were the No. 13 seed in Portland, Ore., and fell in the second round to perennial power Georgetown  84-74.

The Eagles finished with program bests for victories overall (26), in the Big Sky (14), on the road (11) and in non-conference play (9) in 32 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I.

Eastern's heart-stopping 88-86 victory at Big Ten Conference Indiana Nov. 24 will go down as one of the greatest victories in school history after the Eagles snapped the nation's third-longest non-conference home court winning streak at 43 in from of 11,636 Hoosier fans at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

It was the first-ever win for the Eagles in 14 tries against a Big Ten Conference opponent, was the first Big Sky win on a Big Ten home court and was the first time in 21 games Eastern has won in front of a crowd in excess of 10,000. A crowd of 11,636 attended the game at legendary Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

"It is a true honor to be named the next head coach at Saint Martin's University," said Pribble. "I thank President Heynderickx and Athletic Director Grisham for their support and encouragement throughout the process."

"I am very happy for Alex and Saint Martin's University," said Eastern Washington head coach Jim Hayford. "Alex is a great person and will be a great coach. The players at Saint Martin's will benefit greatly from him as a mentor."

"Alex has been a great addition to our staff the past two seasons," said Hayford. "Our program could not be happier for him and this next step of advancement in his career."

Before arriving at Eastern, Pribble spent two seasons at San Francisco State where he was the top assistant for the Gators. Prior to that, he was the boys' basketball coach at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, Calif., for three years.

San Francisco State was 9-19 during his first season in 2011-12, improving to 16-12 in the 2012-13 season. The Gators finished 13-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), and advanced to the semifinals of the conference Tournament. A 57-47 victory over Cal State Los Angeles was the school's first-ever home playoff victory as a member of the CCAA.

He helped recruit two first team All-CCAA selections at San Francisco State, as well as one second team All-CCAA pick and one first team All-Region performer.

While at Tamalpais, the Red Tail Hawks won 30 games and earned a trip to the North Coast Section playoffs during the 2009-10 season. It was the school's first playoff berth in eight years. Pribble was the head coach at Tamalpais from 2008 until 2011.

He spent the 2007-08 season as a graduate assistant coach for Cal, and also spent time as an AAU head coach and individual instructor for the North Bay Basketball Academy.

Pribble received his bachelor's degree in 2007 and his master's in 2008 from the University of California-Berkeley. He walked-on during his freshman season and played in 76 games for the Bears under then coach Ben Braun during his four-year intercollegiate career.

He received a scholarship at Cal after his sophomore season, and was named team captain as a senior when he played in 29 games and started eight.

He was twice named to the Pac-10 All-Academic Team and was a two-time recipient of the Cal Hustle Award. He was also selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court and played in the inaugural Maccabi Australia International games.

The Fairfax, Calif., native graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School in 2003. He was the team's leading scorer his senior season while earning league Most Valuable Player honors. Pribble also was a two-time All-Bay Area selection.

Pribble inherits a team that returns nine players from the 2014-15 squad that went 6-22 overall and 3-15 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

"We are going to play a style of basketball that is fun to play and fun to watch," said Pribble. "We will have high character student athletes, and we will establish a culture that our university and our community will be proud of."

"I am truly looking forward to having a terrific atmosphere at Marcus Pavilion, and sharing an exciting brand of basketball with this community," added Pribble.