UWS Selects Eberhardt as Head Mens Basketball Coach

Photo: Jack Joseph

July 19, 2012

Northland Sports Online

Following a national search, the University of Wisconsin-Superior has named Paul Eberhardt
its new men’s basketball coach, athletics director Steve Nelson announced today.

“We are very excited to bring Paul Eberhardt to Superior as our new men’s basketball coach,” Nelson said. “This search presented us with arguably the deepest pool of applicants we’ve had for a coaching vacancy in my time here as athletics director, and the committee did an outstanding job of bringing four very capable candidates to campus. After careful consideration, we felt that Paul was the best fit to lead our program going forward.”

Eberhardt, a Wonewoc, Wis. native becomes the sixth head coach of the Yellowjackets in the past ten years. He takes over for Matt Siverling, who resigned his post in May to accept same position at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In Siverling’s two seasons the Yellowjackets made a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) playoff appearances and posted an overall record of 29-24.

“It’s no secret that we’ve had turnover in this position, and even through that we’ve continued to build our program,” Nelson said. “We think that Paul is the ideal person for us at this time. He will not only give us some consistency in the coaching ranks, but also take our basketball program to the next level.”

Eberhardt spent four seasons as an assistant coach, having two-year stints at UW-River Falls (1998-2000) and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College (2000-2002). In the summer of 2002 Eberhardt took his first head coaching position in college basketball when he was elevated to the top position at Scottsdale. He remained at SCC as the head coach of the Fighting Artichokes for eight seasons. Most recently Eberhardt has served as the athletics director and dean of students at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

“I want to thank Steve (Nelson), Vicki (Hajewski) and the members of the committee for giving me the opportunity to become the men’s basketball coach at UW-Superior,” Eberhardt said. “This is a great opportunity for me to get back to the WIAC, where I got my coaching start. I loved my time in the league and I’m thrilled to be coaching in the best Division III conference in the country. At the same time it provides me with the chance to bring my family back to Wisconsin, which is where we want to be.”

Eberhardt’s official start date at UW-Superior is August 13, but his work has already begun for the 2012-13 season.

“I’m excited to get rolling. I need to talk with my players and not only get comfortable with them, but make sure that they are comfortable with me. I need to look after the guys that I have there right now,” Eberhardt said. “At the same time I know that we’ll have to bring a couple of players in to help fill out our roster, so even though I don’t officially start for a few weeks, my work for UW-Superior has already begun.”

Eberhardt is a 1997 graduate of Winona (Minn.) State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. In 2000, while at UW-River Falls, Eberhardt completed his teaching certification, receiving his certificate in secondary education-broad field social studies. Eberhardt received his Master of Science degree in education, with an emphasis in sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in August 2006.

Members of the media and the local community are invited to Eberhardt’s introductory press conference, which will be held at the Marcovich Wellness Center on Thursday, July 26 at 12:00 p.m.

Comments can be sent to sports@northlandsportsonline.com