Montana State Coach Matt Logie on WSU’s Radar for Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Job: Local Ties and NCAA Tournament Success Factor in Hiring Decision

According to recent reports, Washington State University is close to filling their men’s basketball head coaching vacancy. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that the university has offered the position to Montana State head coach Matt Logie. Logie is expected to take over for Kyle Smith, who recently left WSU to become Stanford’s head coach.

Logie has strong ties to the state of Washington, having played high school basketball under his grandfather, legendary coach Ed Pepple, at Mercer Island High School. He also served as the head coach at Whitworth University in Spokane from 2011-2019. Last season was Logie’s first at Montana State, where he led the team to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

While Norlander’s report suggests Logie is considering the offer from WSU, another report from Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 names Eastern Washington’s David Riley as another top candidate for the position. Logie’s success at Montana State, where he led the team to a Big Sky Tournament championship, has put him on WSU’s radar.

Before coaching at Montana State, Logie spent four seasons at Point Loma in California. His potential hiring comes after WSU had a successful season, finishing second in the Pac-12 with a record of 25-10 and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. They won their first-round game against Drake before falling to Iowa State in the Round of 32.