Todd Phillips enters his third season as the head coach of the Utah Valley University men's basketball program and his seventh season overall with the Wolverines. Phillips signed a two-year contract extension in May 2025, securing his position through the 2027–28 season.
Phillips owns a 41-25 overall record in his first two seasons at the helm, including an impressive 26-10 mark in Western Athletic Conference play—the most wins by a head coach in their first two seasons in UVU’s Division I history. In 2024–25, he guided Utah Valley to a 25-9 record, a dominant 15-1 league mark, and the outright WAC regular season championship—the program’s fourth overall and second outright title. The Wolverines earned the No. 1 seed in the 2025 WAC Tournament and advanced to their first-ever championship game. UVU also made its third all-time appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), finishing the season ranked No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.
Phillips was named the 2025 WAC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year award, given annually to the nation's top mid-major head coach. His team earned numerous postseason honors, including WAC Player of the Year (Dominick Nelson), WAC Defensive Player of the Year (Carter Welling), two All-WAC Second Team selections (Welling, Tanner Toolson), and a WAC All-Freshman Team nod (Jackson Holcombe).
Under Phillips' leadership, UVU ranked among the top defensive teams in the country, finishing fifth nationally in blocks per game (5.6), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (27.35), and 41st in rebounds per game (38.21). The Wolverines also led the WAC in field goal percentage (46.8%), assists per game (15.6), and rebound margin (+4.9). Utah Valley went a perfect 12-0 at the UCCU Center in 2024–25, finishing the year with the nation’s eighth-longest active home win streak.
In his first season as head coach in 2023–24, Phillips led the Wolverines to a 16-16 record—setting a new UVU record for most wins by a first-year head coach. UVU went 11-9 in league play, also the most WAC wins by a first-year head coach in program history, and finished tied for fourth in the conference standings. The Wolverines closed the regular season by winning seven of their final eight games, including a road sweep of Tarleton State and Abilene Christian. Phillips also guided UVU to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Jacksonville Classic and a 4-2 record against in-state foes, with wins over Weber State, Utah Tech, and two over Southern Utah. Osiris Grady earned All-WAC Freshman Team honors under Phillips' mentorship.
Prior to becoming head coach, Phillips served four seasons under Mark Madsen, including two as associate head coach. During that time, he helped lead UVU to two WAC regular season titles (2020–21, 2022–23) and a 70-51 record over four seasons. The 2022–23 squad posted a school-record 28 wins, went 15-3 in WAC play, and reached the NIT semifinals after wins over New Mexico, Colorado, and Cincinnati. UVU finished that season ranked No. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll and posted its highest-ever end-of-season NET (58) and KenPom (64) rankings.
Phillips has coached some of the most decorated players in UVU history, including Aziz Bandaogo and Fardaws Aimaq—both WAC Defensive Players of the Year and All-District honorees. Aimaq was also the second player in program history to be named WAC Player of the Year and was the national leader in rebounding in 2020–21.
Before joining UVU, Phillips was the head coach at Salt Lake Community College (2011–19), where he compiled a 205-58 record and led SLCC to the 2016 NJCAA National Championship. He was named the NJCAA National Coach of the Year and mentored NJCAA Tournament MVP Conner Toolson. His SLCC tenure also included four NJCAA Tournament appearances, four Region 18 Tournament titles, and three SWAC Coach of the Year honors.
Phillips began his coaching career with eight seasons as an assistant at Westminster College, helping guide the Griffins to eight 20-win seasons and six NAIA Tournament berths. As a player, Phillips competed at Snow College before finishing his career at Lewis-Clark State.
He and his wife, Bobbi, are both originally from Boise, Idaho, and have two children: daughter Kinzi and son Zach.
PERSONAL
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Family: Wife, Bobbi; daughter, Kinzi; son, Zach
EDUCATION
1995–97 – Snow College (A.S.)
1997–99 – Lewis-Clark State (B.S., Education, Kinesiology)
2001–03 – University of Utah (M.S., Education Administration)
COACHING CAREER
2000–08 – Assistant Coach, Westminster College
2008–11 – Assistant Coach, Salt Lake Community College
2011–19 – Head Coach, Salt Lake Community College
2019–21 – Assistant Coach, Utah Valley
2021–23 – Associate Head Coach, Utah Valley
2023–present – Head Coach, Utah Valley
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• WAC Regular Season Champion (2020–21, 2022–23, 2024–25)
• NIT Semifinals (2022–23)
• NIT Appearance (2024–25)
• NJCAA National Champion (2015–16)
• NJCAA Coach of the Year (2016)
• Hugh Durham Award Finalist (2025)
• WAC Coach of the Year (2025)
• Three SWAC Coach of the Year awards
• Four NJCAA Tournament appearances
• Four Region 18 Tournament titles
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH PHILLIPS
“Coach Phillips saw in me what no one else did. He recruited and developed me at SLCC. He pushed me to become the best player I could be. He instilled in me confidence to succeed.”
—
Gary Payton II, Golden State Warriors
“Coach Phillips is a great basketball mind with a caring, loving personality. He played a big role in my development as not only a basketball player but as a man.”
—
Fardaws Aimaq, Former UVU Player
“Coach Phillips was instrumental in turning my career around. He gave me the confidence to succeed on the court and motivated me off the court and in the classroom. Winning the national title under Coach elevated my game to the Division I level.”
—
Tyler Rawson, Former SLCC Player
