CWU officially hired Brandon Rinta as the men’s head basketball coach. Prior to being hired at CWU, Rinta spent seven seasons as the head coach at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC). There, he accumulated an overall record of 164-62, the highest winning percentage by an LCSC coach in the past 50 years.

Rinta played for two years at YVCC before transferring to CWU, where he had the opportunity to play for the Wildcats from 1999-2001 under former coach Greg Sparling.

“A lot has changed since I’ve been here,” Rinta said. “What they’ve done to the campus since I’ve left here 17 years ago is unbelievable. It shows the commitment that they’re making to this university.”

Before his time at LCSC, Rinta coached five seasons as the associate head coach at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU).

From 2001-06, Rinta served as an assistant coach at Eastern Washington University. There, Rinta helped lead the Eagles to three straight Big Sky championship games.

Rinta, a CWU alumni, started his basketball career playing for Yakima Valley Community College where he had the opportunity to play under legendary coach, Dean Nicholson.

“For [Nicholson] to have the legacy that he did and for me to be able to play under him during his last two years of coaching, it was a pretty cool experience,” Rinta said. “I’ve learned a lot from him.”

With his new coaching position, Rinta is looking to get acclimated to CWU and begin the process for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.

“I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to come back to my alma mater, to the school that I attended and be the coach,” Rinta said. “I’m looking forward to getting my family here and being a part of the Ellensburg community and the Central Washington community again.”   

Athletic Director Dennis Francois said he is thrilled to add Rinta to the program.

He “has met a lot of situations and adversity through his life personally as well as coaching, and how he’s responded to those [situations] speaks highly of his character and integrity,” Athletic Director Dennis Francois said.  “[He’s] an outstanding individual.”