UVU roundup: Wolverine men’s basketball coach Todd Phillips signs extension
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- UVU fans cheer on head coach Todd Phillips as he walks in front of the bench after the WAC championship game against Grand Canyon at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips (right) talks to sophomore Carter Welling during the WAC game against Seattle at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb, 22, 2025.
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- New Utah Valley University men’s basketball coach Todd Phillips (center) answers questions from reporters after a news conference at the NUVI Basketball Center on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips directs his team during a game against Western Colorado at the UCCU Center in Orem on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips talks to senior Caleb Stone-Carrawell during the WAC game against Seattle at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023.
Utah Valley University men’s basketball head coach Todd Phillips has signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the helm of the Wolverine program through the 2027-28 season. Phillips’ previous contract was set to expire following the 2025-26 campaign.
“Coach Phillips has built a championship culture both on and off the court, demonstrating exceptional leadership that resonates throughout our program,” said Utah Valley athletic director Jared Sumsion. “We are thrilled to extend Todd’s contract and solidify his leadership at UVU.” “He has established a tradition of success and winning, and we look forward to continued success and competing for league titles and NCAA and postseason tournament appearances under his guidance.”
Phillips holds a 41-25 overall record in his first two seasons with Utah Valley, including an impressive 26-10 mark in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play. This represents the most wins by a UVU head coach in his first two seasons in program history. This past season, Phillips led UVU to a 25-9 record, a dominant 15-1 mark in league play, and the outright WAC regular-season championship–the program’s fourth overall and second outright title.
The Wolverines earned the No. 1 seed in the 2025 WAC Tournament and advanced to their first-ever championship game before falling to Grand Canyon. Phillips guided UVU to its third-ever appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), concluding the season ranked No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.
For his efforts this past season, Phillips was named a finalist for the prestigious Hugh Durham Award, given annually to the nation’s top mid-major head coach. Under his leadership, UVU dominated the WAC postseason honors, with Phillips also earning WAC Coach of the Year recognition. Dominick Nelson (WAC Player of the Year, All-WAC First Team), Carter Welling (WAC Defensive Player of the Year, All-WAC Second Team, WAC All-Defensive Team), Tanner Toolson (All-WAC Second Team), and Jackson Holcombe (WAC All-Freshman Team) also earned honors.
Under Phillips’ direction, UVU was one of the nation’s top defensive teams, ranking fifth nationally in blocks per game (5.6), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (27.35), and 41st in rebounds per game (38.21). Offensively, the Wolverines led the WAC in field goal percentage (46.8%), assists per game (15.6), and rebound margin (+4.9).
In 2024-25, Utah Valley also made history at the UCCU Center, finishing the season undefeated at home (12-0) for the first time. The Wolverines hold the eighth-longest active home win streak in the nation. Key home victories included wins over UTEP, Grand Canyon, California Baptist, UT Arlington, and a historic 100-59 triumph over in-state rival Southern Utah.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the Utah Valley men’s basketball program,” Phillips said. “We have something truly special here, and I appreciate the incredible support from Dr. Sumsion, VP Val Paterson, our biggest fan President Tuminez, and the Wolverine community. I’m excited about our future and committed to building on our recent successes, competing for championships, and continuing to develop student-athletes who excel both on the court and beyond. My family and I love being a part of UVU and look forward to more great moments ahead.”
Phillips initially joined UVU’s coaching staff in 2019, serving two years as an assistant coach and two years as associate head coach before taking over as head coach in 2023. He previously spent eight seasons as head coach at Salt Lake Community College, winning the NJCAA National Championship in 2016.
UVU baseball’s Luke Iverson honored as WAC Hitter of the Week
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has announced its Jersey Mike’s A Sub Above WAC Hitter and Pitcher of the Week honors. Utah Valley’s Luke Iverson was selected as this week’s Hitter of the Week after hitting .438 with three homers and 11 RBIs. Grand Canyon’s Isaac Lyon was named Pitcher of the Week.
“Luke has been growing and growing over the past few weeks. This has led to incredible production on the field. If he can continue down this path, there is no telling what he can continue to accomplish,” said UVU head coach Nate Rasmussen.
Iverson had a stretch this past week during which he homered in four consecutive games, dating back to the series finale against Seattle U. He finished with two hits in three of the four games last weekend, including a ninth-inning homer at Portland to help put the game away. He continued to swing a hot bat against Abilene Christian with a seventh-inning bomb to right field in the series opener before his 3-for-5 performance and a grand slam in Saturday’s 18-14 slugfest with the Wildcats.
He added seven runs scored, a double, triple, and one walk, and was hit four times to reach base at a .571 clip with a 1.188 slugging percentage.
The junior from St. George, Utah has tallied 12 multi-hit games and had his 14-game hitting streak snapped yesterday against ACU, although he extended his reach base streak to 27 games. He returns this week to his hometown for the Old Hammer Rivalry. The three-game series begins on Friday, Apr. 4, at 6:05 p.m. MT from Bruce Hurst Field.
Wolverine baseball cancels midweek game
Utah Valley’s midweek match up with Colorado Mesa has been canceled due to anticipated inclement weather in the area. The contest will not be rescheduled.
The Wolverines start an eight-game road trip this weekend at Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry. They will continue south to play two games at UNLV (Apr. 4-6) and then wrap up the trip at Grand Canyon on Apr. 11-13.
