Chad Lavin Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 28th Season Years at CSU: Second Season

Chad Lavin returned to women's basketball in 2012-13 after a four-year hiatus from coaching. In his second season with the Rams, Lavin brings with him 26 years of head coaching experience, including 12 years at the Division I level. He is in charge of player development.

A Division II Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year and two-time Regional Coach of the Year, Lavin (56) opted for early retirement in 2008, after guiding his South Dakota squad to the NCAA championship game. The Coyotes finished the season 33-2, the best record in school history, and they received a No. 2 final ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

Lavin ended his career at USD the all-time winningest coach (273-141; .659), and he was inducted in the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

In between his first four year stint (1982-86) and his last 10 years (1998-2008) at South Dakota, Lavin was head coach of the Rams' Border War rival Wyoming for 12 seasons (1986-1998). While there he amassed a 175-162 (.519) record and led the Cowgirls to four top three conference finishes, including their only regular-season league title in 1989-90. That year the team went 24-8 overall and posted its best conference winning percentage in the history of the program at .900 (9-1).

All told Lavin has mentored seven national playoff teams and he has seven seasons with 20 or more wins on his résumé. He has been named North Central Conference Coach of the Year four times (1982-83, 1984-85, 2002-03, 2007-08), South Dakota Collegiate Coach of the Year (1984-85), High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice (1986-87, 1989-90) and was the North Central Region Coach of the Year in 2002-03.

He has coached five NCC MVPs and five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, including director of women's basketball operations, Mandy Koupal.