University of Idaho Athletics

COACHING ACCOLADES

• 3x Big Sky Coach of the Year (2004, 2006, 2019)
• 2x WAC Coach of the Year (2009, 2014)
• 1989 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
• 5 WNIT appearances (Elite 8 2019)
• 4 NCAA tournament appearances

Newlee has coached 21 years at the NCAA Division I level and has a 350-295 (.543) record. Overall, Newlee has coached 24 seasons and has amassed a record of 384-326 (.541).

Jon Newlee was named the ninth head coach of the University of Idaho women’s basketball team on April 15, 2008 and is the all-time winningest coach at Idaho with a 257-213 (.547) record.
 
IDAHO (2008-2023) In his 15 seasons at Idaho, The Vandals have won two WAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and one Big Sky Regular Season and Tournament Championship.

Newlee has led Idaho to seven postseason bids: three trips to the NCAA tournament, two WNIT appearances and two WBI appearances including a run to the WBI semifinals in 2016-17. He led the program to its first postseason appearance in 25 years with a WBI bid in 2011 and its first NCAA bid since 1985 by winning the 2013 WAC tournament.

At Idaho, Newlee has coached 33 All-Conference selections, 13 All-Tournament selections, four All-Americans, three conference tournament MVPs, three conference players of the year, two Top Reserves (Sixth-Man), one Newcomer of the Year, and one Freshman of the Year.
 
In the classroom, Newlee has coached 76 All-Academic honorees, three CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. His 2017-18 squad was 6^th in the WBCA Academic Top-25.

2022-23: Idaho finished the season 13-17 overall averaging 69.6 points per game. The Vandals started their season with an 87-51 win against Seattle Pacific. Idaho started off conference play with a statement, securing two wins back-to-back against Montana and Montana State on the road. Idaho led the conference in 3-point field goals made this season with 9.1 (8^th in the nation). They were second in the Big Sky with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.15 (30^th in the nation). Beyonce Bea was named First-Team All-Big Sky and was voted Big Sky Player of the Week five times. 

After coming off of a losing streak in the first half of the season, Idaho battled back to have a successful second half of the season. In the stretch of the last 10 games, The Vandals were able to come up with seven wins earning the No. 6 seed at the Big-Sky Championship. 

2021-22: The Vandals had the 40^th toughest non-conference schedule in the nation. After opening the brand new ICCU Arena with a 95-46 win over LC-State. The Vandals then went through an early-season gauntlet, six of the first ten games were against opponents in the top 100 of Massey Rankings, including games at Texas, Oregon State, and Northern Iowa.
 
Due to COVID-19 postponements and rescheduling, the second half of the Vandal’s season wasn’t any easier. Idaho closed the season by playing 11 games in 21 days. The Vandals went 8-3 including a six-game winning streak. The streak allowed the Vandals to move up in the standings and finish sixth. The Vandals advanced to the Big Sky semifinals by topping #11 Portland State and #3 Southern Utah before falling to eventual champion Montana State in the semifinals.
 
Idaho finished with a 14-18 record averaging 68.5 points a game. The Vandals led the Big Sky with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.13 (29^th in the nation). They also led the conference in 3-point shooting categories: Total 3-point field goals attempted (seventh in the nation), total 3-point field goals made (13^th in the nation), and 3-point field goals made per game with 8.8 (12^th in the nation). Sydney Gandy led the Big Sky with 73 3-point field goals made. Beyonce Bea was named First-Team All-Big Sky. Louise Forsyth was named honorable mention and the conference’s top reserve (sixth man).
 
2020-21: The Vandals went 17-7 in a COVID shortened season. Idaho had five games canceled but still finished second in the Big Sky with a 14-3 conference record. The Vandals advanced to the conference championship game for the second straight season but fell to Idaho State in the finale. Beyonce Bea and Gabi Harrington were named first-team all-conference. Gina Marxen earned second-team honors and Haily Christopher was named the conference’s top reserve (sixth man).

2019-20: Idaho finished the season with an impressive 22-9 record, the fifth consecutive season with 19 or more wins and clinched the second seed in the Big Sky Tournament. The Vandals advanced to the championship game, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big Sky conference canceled the tournament, and soon after the NCAA canceled any potential postseason tournament.  Newlee hit 200 wins at Idaho on Jan. 16th with a 69-60 win over Eastern Washington. He recorded his 300th NCAA Division I win on Feb. 22nd at Sacramento State.The Vandals allowed just 58.8 points per game to opponents last season, an improvement of 14 points from the previous year.

2018-19: Newlee led the Vandals to a 16-4 finish in the Big Sky regular-season championship. Newlee was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year. Despite falling in the conference tournament Idaho earned a bid to the WNIT. Idaho defeated Loyola-Marymount 79-64 on the road in the first round. In the second round, the Vandals hosted Denver in Memorial Gym and toppled Pioneers 88-66 in front of a large crowd. The win punched the Vandals’ ticket to the WNIT sweet 16 for just the second time in school history. Idaho faced Arizona on the road and fell short 68-60. Under Coach Newlee Mikayla Ferenz became the all-time leading scorer in Idaho history and in Big Sky history with 2,466 total points. Pierce became the fifth all-time leading scorer at Idaho with 1,934 points. Currently, five of the top-10 all-time scorers were coached by Newlee. In 2018-19, Pierce set an Idaho and NCAA record with 154 made three-pointers. Pierce is the all-time leading three-point shooter in Idaho history with 472 made threes. Ferenz is right behind her with 415.

2017-18: Newlee took the Vandals to the WNIT for the first time since the 1986 championship team following a 19-14 campaign. The Vandals finished 13-5 in the Big Sky and advanced to the championship game. Newlee’s first WNIT appearance with Idaho fell short with a first-round loss to UC Davis on the road. 

2016-17: Newlee’s Vandals finished with a 19-15 overall record (11-7 in conference). The Vandals fell in the second round of the Big Sky tournament but secured a spot in the Women’s Basketball Invitational tournament. Idaho defeated Utah State and Eastern Washington to advance to the WBI semifinals before falling to Rice 86-80. Newlee became the winningest coach in Idaho women’s basketball history with his 143rd win on Feb. 4th topping Sacramento State 72-58.

2015-16: Newlee led the Vandals back to the postseason. The Vandals won 24 games, including 13 in their second season of Big Sky play. Idaho defeated Idaho State 67-55 winning the conference tournament and punching a ticket to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years. The win marked Newlee’s third conference tournament win at Idaho and first in the Big Sky. 

2014-15: After spending 18 seasons away, Idaho returned to the Big Sky Conference finishing 14-15 on the year. Newlee recorded his 100th win at Idaho with the team’s 67-60 win at Weber State on Jan. 3.

2013-14: The Vandals put together a season not seen since 1984-85. They recorded the school’s first back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in program history. The 25 wins were the most since winning a school-record 28 in 1985-86. Idaho ripped off a streak of 10-straight conference wins, dominating play in the Western Athletic Conference.

2012-13: Newlee quickly developed his young team into champions. The Vandals started three true freshmen in 20 of 32 games, going 12-8 in those games, en route to the WAC championship. Picked to finish sixth in the WAC preseason media poll, the Vandals went 11-7 in WAC play to finish third, then knocked off the league’s top two seeds during its WAC title run.

2011-12: Despite the loss of four starters from the previous year, Newlee groomed a group of young talented players into winners by the end of the season. The Vandals, picked to finish seventh out of eight WAC schools, rallied to win six of their final nine regular-season games to earn a fourth-place conference finish. Idaho then advanced to the WAC semifinals for the second time in three seasons.

2010-11: Newlee took the Vandals to a new level in 2010-11 as Idaho earned the program’s first postseason bid in 25 years with a trip to the Women’s Basketball Invitational. Idaho’s 15-16 overall record marked the program’s most wins in a season since 2004-05. He also led the Vandals to the program’s 500th win during that season.

Newlee coached 2010-11 honorable mention All-American Yinka Olorunnife, who broke a host of rebounding records including the Idaho and WAC career records, the Idaho single season record, and the career record for rebounds in WAC games. In addition to her All-American honor, Olorunnife picked up WAC Player of the Week, second-team All-WAC, WAC All-Tournament team, and WAC all-defensive team honors.

2009-10: Newlee led the Vandals to an 11-20 overall record 8-8 in the conference and the No. 4 seed in the WAC tournament. The Vandals made their first trip to the WAC semifinals in program history, as they finished the season one win away from playing for the WAC championship. The Vandals set a school record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 216, smashing the previous record of 203 set by the 2004-05 squad.

2008-09: In his first season at Idaho, Newlee led the Vandal women to their best season in WAC play. The Vandals went 13-15 overall and finished third in the WAC at 10-6. In Idaho’s three years in the WAC prior to Newlee’s arrival, the Vandals had a combined record of 11-37 and had never finished higher than seventh in the league standings earning Newlee WAC Coach of the Year honors. Idaho’s turnaround was significant on the national level as well. In 2009, the Vandals’ final RPI ranking jumped 96 spots in the final ratings over the previous season, which tied as the 19th-largest RPI jump among NCAA teams. Idaho’s 9.5-game improvement was the seventh-best in the NCAA that year. Yinka Olorunnife earned Second-Team All-WAC and WAC All-Defensive Team honors. Derisa Taleni earned WAC Newcomer of the Year and Second-Team All-WAC honors. Shaena-Lyn Kuehu was voted to the WAC All-Freshman Team. Newlee’s team was one of the most disciplined in the NCAA, as the Vandals led the WAC and were ranked 15th in the NCAA with just 14.1 personal fouls per game, and ranked 90th out of 328 schools in turnovers per game. The Vandals also played a feisty brand of defense and came within 0.8 of breaking Idaho’s 19-year-old scoring defense record with a 59.5 defensive scoring average.


IDAHO STATE (2002-2008) Newlee’s six-year tenure at Idaho State was marked with success, then more success. Prior to his arrival, Idaho State had never been invited to the Women’s NIT. He took the Bengals there three times in six seasons. He also became the second coach in Idaho State history to earn a Big Sky Coach of the Year award school. Newlee produced two of the three 20-win seasons in Idaho State history and four of the team’s five total post-season berths.

In just his second season at Idaho State in 2004, Newlee led the Bengals to a 20-9 record—a 14-win improvement over his first season—and a second-place finish in the Big Sky, Earning an invitation to compete in the Women’s NIT for the first time in school history. After getting one taste of the postseason, the Bengals wanted even more. They got it in 2006. Newlee’s ISU squad went 17-13 overall and 11-3 in the Big Sky in 2006 to earn the Big Sky regular-season title and a second trip to the WNIT.

Newlee’s 2007 Bengals took it a step further. After going 17-14 during the season and 11-5 in the Big Sky, the Bengals won the Big Sky Tournament to give Idaho State just its second conference tournament title and second NCAA bid. In Newlee’s final season at the helm, the Bengals cruised to a 20-10 overall record, an 11-2 Big Sky record, and a third WNIT berth—the team’s fourth post-season bid in five seasons.

Newlee coached Natalie Doma, a two-time honorable mention Associated Press All-American and 2008 Wooden Award and State Farm Wade Trophy finalist. She is the only player in Big Sky Conference history to be a finalist for the Wooden Award. Doma twice ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA in both scoring and rebounding in 2007 and 2008 and finished her career as the top scorer and rebounder in Idaho State and Big Sky Conference history.

Doma and Andrea Lightfoot earned three All-Big Sky first-team honors each, which made them just two of three Bengals to achieve the feat in school history. Doma was also a two-time Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, while Lightfoot earned the honor once. He also coached one Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and 11 total all-Big Sky honorees. His athletes also earned 28 Academic All-Big Sky honors in his six seasons.

SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE (1986-89) Newlee took Southwestern College from a 2-14 record to a 22-6 record and an NJCAA Regional Tournament appearance in just three seasons.

ASSISTANT COACHING CAREER University of Hawai’i (1999-2002): He helped the Rainbow Wahine earn three successive WNIT berths and helped lead them to three successive 20-win seasons. Hawai’i was 69-25 overall in his three seasons and went a combined 37-11 in the Western Athletic Conference and never finished worse than second in the WAC.
Southern Methodist University (1991-99): he spent eight seasons and helped the Mustangs make five NCAA tournament appearances and one WNIT appearance. During his time at SMU, the Mustangs were 155-82 overall, compiled four 20-win seasons, and finished in the top three in their respective conferences six times.
University of Texas at San Antonio (1990-91):  in 1991, he helped the Roadrunners to an 18-12 record.
Saint Mary’s College (Calif.) (1983-86): The team went a combined 64-25 and made one trip to the NAIA District III playoffs in 1986.
 
PERSONAL  A southern California native, Newlee played basketball at Chaffey Community College before transferring to San Diego State where he to earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. He is married to Kara Newlee and has three daughters, Bailey, Bhodie, and Bexlee.