University of Northern Colorado Athletics
10/29/2026 12:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado head coach Steve Smiley has announced changes to his men's basketball staff, elevating two assistant head coaches to associate head coaches, one assistant coach to assistant head coach, and a fourth staff member into a newly created strategy role.
Houston Reed and Dorian Green move from assistant head coaches to associate head coaches. Brett Cloepfil moves from assistant coach to assistant head coach. Colin Gause has been elevated to Assistant Coach and Director of Basketball Strategy and Operations.
"I'm really excited to announce the elevation for our staff," Smiley said. "Houston, Dorian, and Brett have been a part of this staff and my tenure since day one and have been a huge part of our success both on and off the court during that time. We've experienced so much success here in Bear Country over the past six years and I truly believe it's because we have the best staff in the Big Sky, and I don't take that for granted. All three of these guys have had multiple opportunities to move on to different jobs during their time here, yet they've stayed loyal to our program and it's been a key factor in us having the continuity to have sustained success. I'm extremely grateful for all three of them, and looking forward to continued success this year and beyond."
Smiley has built the winningest tenure in the program's Division I era. Twenty former Bears have gone on to professional basketball careers since his arrival in Greeley, including 12 under him as head coach, and he holds the school record for postseason wins with eight across four appearances.
Houston Reed
Reed has been on staff since 2020 and took on the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator titles in 2022 along with working as the defensive coordinator. He has spent the last six seasons working with the Bears' post players, developing Kur Jongkuch, Theo Hughes and Brock Wisne, who each shot better than 60 percent from the floor. Reed has recruited Colorado for two decades and runs the staff's campus visits.
Dorian Green
Green arrived in 2019 and was elevated to assistant head coach and director of advanced scouting in 2022. As offensive coordinator he has overseen one of the most efficient offenses in the country, with Northern Colorado finishing first nationally in field goal percentage from 2022-25, when the Bears also led the Big Sky in scoring margin, three-point percentage and assists per game.
Brett Cloepfil
Cloepfil is in his eighth season on staff and fourth as an assistant coach, with the Bears going 64-36 over his first three years in that role. He oversees wing development, serves as the sports performance team liaison and prepares the staff for special situations. The Evans, Colorado native coached Greeley West High School to the 5A state tournament in all five of his seasons there.
Colin Gause
Gause is in his fifth season on the coaching staff and his first in an assistant coach role. He began at Northern Colorado as a student manager from 2016-19, was part of the 2018 CIT championship team, and returned in 2022 before moving to the bench in 2023. In his current role he works in recruiting, player development, opponent scouting and analytics.
"Coach Colin Gause has expanded his role through the past several years on our staff, and with an expanded role, we're upgrading his title to Director of Basketball Strategy and Operations, which encompasses not only his operational duties, but his expanded duties on the court and in development, scouting, and more," Smiley said. "Coach Gause is also well-deserving of this expanded title. We're all looking forward to a great season as we attack an extremely challenging non-conference schedule and the always-competitive Big Sky. Go Bears!"
The Continuity
The four coaches have been together through the best stretch in the program's Division I history. Smiley led the Bears to a share of the Big Sky regular season championship and the program's first NIT berth in 2024-25, when Northern Colorado went 25-10 and he became the winningest coach in UNC's Division I era. Last season the Bears won 20 games for the second straight year and beat Colorado for the first time in program history.
Northern Colorado opens the 2026-27 season Monday, Nov. 2, hosting Colorado College at Bank of Colorado Arena at 7:30 p.m. MT.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action at uncbears.com and on social media. Follow the Bears on X (@UNC_BearsMBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).
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Houston Reed and Dorian Green move from assistant head coaches to associate head coaches. Brett Cloepfil moves from assistant coach to assistant head coach. Colin Gause has been elevated to Assistant Coach and Director of Basketball Strategy and Operations.
"I'm really excited to announce the elevation for our staff," Smiley said. "Houston, Dorian, and Brett have been a part of this staff and my tenure since day one and have been a huge part of our success both on and off the court during that time. We've experienced so much success here in Bear Country over the past six years and I truly believe it's because we have the best staff in the Big Sky, and I don't take that for granted. All three of these guys have had multiple opportunities to move on to different jobs during their time here, yet they've stayed loyal to our program and it's been a key factor in us having the continuity to have sustained success. I'm extremely grateful for all three of them, and looking forward to continued success this year and beyond."
Smiley has built the winningest tenure in the program's Division I era. Twenty former Bears have gone on to professional basketball careers since his arrival in Greeley, including 12 under him as head coach, and he holds the school record for postseason wins with eight across four appearances.
Houston Reed
Reed has been on staff since 2020 and took on the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator titles in 2022 along with working as the defensive coordinator. He has spent the last six seasons working with the Bears' post players, developing Kur Jongkuch, Theo Hughes and Brock Wisne, who each shot better than 60 percent from the floor. Reed has recruited Colorado for two decades and runs the staff's campus visits.
Dorian Green
Green arrived in 2019 and was elevated to assistant head coach and director of advanced scouting in 2022. As offensive coordinator he has overseen one of the most efficient offenses in the country, with Northern Colorado finishing first nationally in field goal percentage from 2022-25, when the Bears also led the Big Sky in scoring margin, three-point percentage and assists per game.
Brett Cloepfil
Cloepfil is in his eighth season on staff and fourth as an assistant coach, with the Bears going 64-36 over his first three years in that role. He oversees wing development, serves as the sports performance team liaison and prepares the staff for special situations. The Evans, Colorado native coached Greeley West High School to the 5A state tournament in all five of his seasons there.
Colin Gause
Gause is in his fifth season on the coaching staff and his first in an assistant coach role. He began at Northern Colorado as a student manager from 2016-19, was part of the 2018 CIT championship team, and returned in 2022 before moving to the bench in 2023. In his current role he works in recruiting, player development, opponent scouting and analytics.
"Coach Colin Gause has expanded his role through the past several years on our staff, and with an expanded role, we're upgrading his title to Director of Basketball Strategy and Operations, which encompasses not only his operational duties, but his expanded duties on the court and in development, scouting, and more," Smiley said. "Coach Gause is also well-deserving of this expanded title. We're all looking forward to a great season as we attack an extremely challenging non-conference schedule and the always-competitive Big Sky. Go Bears!"
The Continuity
The four coaches have been together through the best stretch in the program's Division I history. Smiley led the Bears to a share of the Big Sky regular season championship and the program's first NIT berth in 2024-25, when Northern Colorado went 25-10 and he became the winningest coach in UNC's Division I era. Last season the Bears won 20 games for the second straight year and beat Colorado for the first time in program history.
Northern Colorado opens the 2026-27 season Monday, Nov. 2, hosting Colorado College at Bank of Colorado Arena at 7:30 p.m. MT.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action at uncbears.com and on social media. Follow the Bears on X (@UNC_BearsMBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).
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Players Mentioned
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