South Dakota head men’s basketball coach Eric Peterson announced the addition of Brandon Ubel to his coaching staff Tuesday. Ubel (pronounced YOU-bell) played collegiate basketball at Nebraska, spent five years playing professional basketball overseas, and has been a part of Craig Smith’s staff for the last three seasons.
“Brandon is a tremendous addition to our staff,” said Peterson. “He has experience as a high-level player in college and overseas. I’ve worked closely with him over the last three years at Utah State and Utah and there is no doubt in my mind he’s the perfect fit for South Dakota.”
A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Ubel began his career as a graduate assistant coach at Utah State from 2019-21. Ubel was part of a staff that led the Aggies to a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020. In the following season, the Aggies finished runner-up at the conference tournament and received an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. Ubel’s duties at Utah State included film evaluation, facilities scheduling, video coordination, and academic oversight. Ubel was the main point of contact for visiting teams and was responsible for scheduling practice and shootaround times for away teams.
After two seasons at Utah State, Ubel followed Smith to the University of Utah and spent last season as the director of scouting. As the director of scouting, Ubel’s responsibilities included assisting in finding and evaluating film of potential recruits, implementing and presenting a scouting report on opponents, and overseeing academics and compliance for the team. Ubel had a recruiting focus in the states of Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Utah and also dipped into international recruiting.
“I am so excited to have a chance to be a part of the University of South Dakota basketball program,” said Ubel. “Coach Peterson has been an unbelievable mentor to me over our past three years working together and I am honored to be a part of his staff. I am looking forward to getting to work with the team and everyone around the university and be a part of the Coyote family!”
Ubel was a four-year standout at the University of Nebraska from 2009-13. He played his first three seasons under Doc Sadler and his senior season under Tim Miles. Ubel appeared in 125 games and started 89 games for the Huskers. In his senior season as team co-captain, Ubel averaged 11.5 points per game and finished seventh in the Big Ten with 6.7 rebounds per game. In addition to his success on the court, Ubel was a three-time academic all-american, earned the 2012 Nebraska HERO Leadership award, and was a nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2013.
In his professional career, Ubel played three of those five years in two separate stints with Basic-Fit Brussels Basketball located in Belgium. Between that, Ubel played for the Antwerp Giants in 2014-15 in the Belgian Euromillions League – the highest tier of basketball in Belgium. He closed out his professional career by playing the 2017-18 season for Boulazac Basket Dordogne located in France. Throughout his professional career, Ubel was a two-time all-league honoree and finished in the top five in MVP voting his first season.
Ubel earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast production from Nebraska in 2013 and his master’s degree in physical and sport education in 2021 from Utah State.