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Staff Directory
Presnell, Gordy
Gordy Presnell
- Title:
- Head Coach
Boise State Record: 373-256 (19 years)*
Career Record: 769-383 (37 years)*
*Entering 2025-26
Twenty one years ago Gordy Presnell returned to his home state to become the sixth head coach in Boise State University’s women’s basketball program history. He brought with him a mild and laid-back demeanor, 18 years of head-coaching experience and a long record of success. What followed is unquestionably the greatest period of basketball in program history.
Presnell currently ranks first in Bronco history for victories by a coach with a record of 373-256 (.593) overall. The 2025-26 season will mark his 39th as a collegiate head coach with a career record of 769-383 (.668), marking him one of five active Division I head coaches with over 750 career wins.
With 769 career victories through the 2025-26 campaign, Presnell currently sits at 29th on the all-time victories list of NCAA (all levels) wins and 10th among active coaches. He coached the 1,000th game of his illustrious career in the 2020-21 season opener and recorded his 750th career win on March 10 in the opening round of the MW Tournament with an 84-49 win over Utah State.
Presnell's Bronco teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament on six occasions (2007, 2015, 2017-20) and 10 times have qualified for the postseason. Under his watch, Boise State has also won four regular-season titles (2007-08 WAC; 2018-19 Mountain West) and six conference tournament titles (2007 WAC; 2015, 2017-20 Mountain West).
Boise State’s 80-76 overtime win over Fresno State in the 2020 Mountain West Basketball Championship Game made the Broncos the first program in conference history to win four-straight tournaments (2017-20), and, with five tournament titles (2015, 2017-20), tied the Broncos with New Mexico for the most all-time.
Presnell, the 2018-19 Mountain West Coach of the Year, has taken the Broncos to 198 victories over the past ten seasons, including 132 (regular season and conference tournament) against Mountain West competition. Boise State has won 10 or more conference games in nine of the past 10 seasons, the most of any team in the MW in that span.
After setting the program record for wins in a season with 25 in 2016-17, Presnell guided the Broncos to 23 wins in 2017-18 before establishing the new benchmark with 28 victories in 2018-19. The Broncos followed that with the program’s fourth-straight 20-win season in 2019-20, going 24-9.
The first of the recent 20-win seasons came in 2014-15, when Presnell led the Broncos to a 22-11 mark, the Mountain West Tournament title, and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. In the first round, the Broncos, a 15-seed, fought valiantly at No. 2 Tennessee, trailing the Lady Volunteers by just five with under three minutes to play before falling 72-61.
Over this span, Presnell's players have earned 22 All-Mountain West selections, including 11 first-team honors. They have stepped up even more when the lights shine brightest, as Brooke Pahukoa (2015, 2017), Riley Lupfer (2018), Braydey Hodgins (2019), and A’Shanti Coleman (2020) have combined to capture five Mountain West Tournament MVPs.
Since Boise State joined the Mountain West in 2011-12, the Broncos, under Presnell, lead all conference schools with five NCAA Tournament bids. Presnell’s teams have gone 141-104 (.576) in MW games and an impressive 223-85 (.724) at home in Boise, including a perfect 15-0 mark in 2007-08.
The Broncos have recorded 15 winning seasons over Presnell's 20-year tenure. After going 15-15 in his first season (2005-06), the Broncos recorded four-consecutive winning seasons, including a then-school-record 24 wins in both the 2006-07 (24-9) and 2007-08 (24-8) campaigns.
In 2006-07, Presnell led the Broncos to the program’s first postseason appearance under his watch, and first since 1998. Boise State went 24-9 overall, winning the WAC regular-season and tournament titles to advance to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history, and to the postseason for the first time since making the 1998 WNIT. For his coaching performance he was named the WAC and WBCA Division I Regional Coach of the Year.
In addition to the regular-season and conference tournament titles, and NCAA Tournament appearances, program honors during Presnell's tenure at Boise State include: advancing to the second round in both the 2008 Women’s National Invitation Tournament and the 2014 Women’s Basketball Invitational; one WBCA All-Region and one Honorable Mention All-America honors; 41 all-conference honors, 10 conference all-freshmen team members, two conference newcomers of the year, two freshmen of the year, one defensive player of the year, six conference all-defensive team honors, nine conference all-tournament team honors with six tournament MVPs, and a combined 112 academic all-conference honors.
Prior to taking over at Boise State, Presnell coached for 18 successful years at Seattle Pacific University in Washington. At SPU, he inherited a program that had not recorded a winning season in the previous nine years. He built the Falcons into a NCAA Division II national power, accumulating an overall record of 396 victories with 127 defeats (.757). Along the way his teams amassed an average of 22 wins per season while claiming seven conference championships, including four in his last five seasons. In addition, his teams were an impressive 221-29 (.884) at home in Broughman Pavilion, including five unbeaten home seasons.
On the national scene under Presnell, the Falcons advanced to nine-straight (1997-2005) and 10 of 11 NCAA Division II tournaments while he was in Seattle. Overall, Seattle Pacific made postseason appearances in 13 of his 18 years, 10 NCAA and three NAIA. Presnell’s teams reached three NCAA Division II Elite Eights and advanced to the 2005 national title game.
At the time of his departure from Seattle Pacific in the summer of 2005, Presnell was ranked tied for 10th-place nationally among NCAA Division II coaches for win percentage (.757) and 21st for total victories.
In 36 years as a collegiate head coach Presnell has experienced 31 winning seasons and one at .500. His teams have won a combined 11 regular-season titles, seven at SPU and four at Boise State. In addition, he has guided 21 of his 36 squads to postseason national-tournament bids.
During his career he has been named conference coach of the year eight times, WBCA Regional Coach of the Year five times (four at NCAA Division II level and one at Division I), and the WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year twice. His coach of the year honors now total 16 in 36 years. In 2007, during the NCAA’s 25th anniversary celebration for women’s sports, coach Presnell was listed as one of the top coaches all-time in their publication “Women’s Basketball Finest.”
His student-athletes have accumulated numerous honors along the way: one All-American; seven individuals have earned 10 honorable mention All-American awards; five league players of the year; 11 freshman/newcomers of the year; one freshman of the year; 35 players have combined for 55 all-conference honors; 12 conference all-freshmen team members; five conference all-defensive team members; 41 individuals have combined for 105 academic all-conference honors; 14 combined for 16 national academic honors including two academic All-Americans.
Presnell, a Lapwai, Idaho, native graduated from Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, in 1983 with a B.A. in physical education. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from NNU in 2024. He continued his studies in physical education at Seattle Pacific, where he earned a master’s degree in 1989. He and his wife, former SPU gymnast Susan Nolte, live in Meridian, Idaho. They have two children, a daughter, Jacquelyn, and a son, Ryder.
In 2008 he was honored by his alma mater as the “Outstanding Educator of the Year.” While at Seattle Pacific he was asked to throw out the opening pitch at two Seattle Mariners games.
Career Record: 769-383 (37 years)*
*Entering 2025-26
Twenty one years ago Gordy Presnell returned to his home state to become the sixth head coach in Boise State University’s women’s basketball program history. He brought with him a mild and laid-back demeanor, 18 years of head-coaching experience and a long record of success. What followed is unquestionably the greatest period of basketball in program history.
Presnell currently ranks first in Bronco history for victories by a coach with a record of 373-256 (.593) overall. The 2025-26 season will mark his 39th as a collegiate head coach with a career record of 769-383 (.668), marking him one of five active Division I head coaches with over 750 career wins.
With 769 career victories through the 2025-26 campaign, Presnell currently sits at 29th on the all-time victories list of NCAA (all levels) wins and 10th among active coaches. He coached the 1,000th game of his illustrious career in the 2020-21 season opener and recorded his 750th career win on March 10 in the opening round of the MW Tournament with an 84-49 win over Utah State.
Presnell's Bronco teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament on six occasions (2007, 2015, 2017-20) and 10 times have qualified for the postseason. Under his watch, Boise State has also won four regular-season titles (2007-08 WAC; 2018-19 Mountain West) and six conference tournament titles (2007 WAC; 2015, 2017-20 Mountain West).
Boise State’s 80-76 overtime win over Fresno State in the 2020 Mountain West Basketball Championship Game made the Broncos the first program in conference history to win four-straight tournaments (2017-20), and, with five tournament titles (2015, 2017-20), tied the Broncos with New Mexico for the most all-time.
Presnell, the 2018-19 Mountain West Coach of the Year, has taken the Broncos to 198 victories over the past ten seasons, including 132 (regular season and conference tournament) against Mountain West competition. Boise State has won 10 or more conference games in nine of the past 10 seasons, the most of any team in the MW in that span.
After setting the program record for wins in a season with 25 in 2016-17, Presnell guided the Broncos to 23 wins in 2017-18 before establishing the new benchmark with 28 victories in 2018-19. The Broncos followed that with the program’s fourth-straight 20-win season in 2019-20, going 24-9.
The first of the recent 20-win seasons came in 2014-15, when Presnell led the Broncos to a 22-11 mark, the Mountain West Tournament title, and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. In the first round, the Broncos, a 15-seed, fought valiantly at No. 2 Tennessee, trailing the Lady Volunteers by just five with under three minutes to play before falling 72-61.
Over this span, Presnell's players have earned 22 All-Mountain West selections, including 11 first-team honors. They have stepped up even more when the lights shine brightest, as Brooke Pahukoa (2015, 2017), Riley Lupfer (2018), Braydey Hodgins (2019), and A’Shanti Coleman (2020) have combined to capture five Mountain West Tournament MVPs.
Since Boise State joined the Mountain West in 2011-12, the Broncos, under Presnell, lead all conference schools with five NCAA Tournament bids. Presnell’s teams have gone 141-104 (.576) in MW games and an impressive 223-85 (.724) at home in Boise, including a perfect 15-0 mark in 2007-08.
The Broncos have recorded 15 winning seasons over Presnell's 20-year tenure. After going 15-15 in his first season (2005-06), the Broncos recorded four-consecutive winning seasons, including a then-school-record 24 wins in both the 2006-07 (24-9) and 2007-08 (24-8) campaigns.
In 2006-07, Presnell led the Broncos to the program’s first postseason appearance under his watch, and first since 1998. Boise State went 24-9 overall, winning the WAC regular-season and tournament titles to advance to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history, and to the postseason for the first time since making the 1998 WNIT. For his coaching performance he was named the WAC and WBCA Division I Regional Coach of the Year.
In addition to the regular-season and conference tournament titles, and NCAA Tournament appearances, program honors during Presnell's tenure at Boise State include: advancing to the second round in both the 2008 Women’s National Invitation Tournament and the 2014 Women’s Basketball Invitational; one WBCA All-Region and one Honorable Mention All-America honors; 41 all-conference honors, 10 conference all-freshmen team members, two conference newcomers of the year, two freshmen of the year, one defensive player of the year, six conference all-defensive team honors, nine conference all-tournament team honors with six tournament MVPs, and a combined 112 academic all-conference honors.
Prior to taking over at Boise State, Presnell coached for 18 successful years at Seattle Pacific University in Washington. At SPU, he inherited a program that had not recorded a winning season in the previous nine years. He built the Falcons into a NCAA Division II national power, accumulating an overall record of 396 victories with 127 defeats (.757). Along the way his teams amassed an average of 22 wins per season while claiming seven conference championships, including four in his last five seasons. In addition, his teams were an impressive 221-29 (.884) at home in Broughman Pavilion, including five unbeaten home seasons.
On the national scene under Presnell, the Falcons advanced to nine-straight (1997-2005) and 10 of 11 NCAA Division II tournaments while he was in Seattle. Overall, Seattle Pacific made postseason appearances in 13 of his 18 years, 10 NCAA and three NAIA. Presnell’s teams reached three NCAA Division II Elite Eights and advanced to the 2005 national title game.
At the time of his departure from Seattle Pacific in the summer of 2005, Presnell was ranked tied for 10th-place nationally among NCAA Division II coaches for win percentage (.757) and 21st for total victories.
In 36 years as a collegiate head coach Presnell has experienced 31 winning seasons and one at .500. His teams have won a combined 11 regular-season titles, seven at SPU and four at Boise State. In addition, he has guided 21 of his 36 squads to postseason national-tournament bids.
During his career he has been named conference coach of the year eight times, WBCA Regional Coach of the Year five times (four at NCAA Division II level and one at Division I), and the WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year twice. His coach of the year honors now total 16 in 36 years. In 2007, during the NCAA’s 25th anniversary celebration for women’s sports, coach Presnell was listed as one of the top coaches all-time in their publication “Women’s Basketball Finest.”
His student-athletes have accumulated numerous honors along the way: one All-American; seven individuals have earned 10 honorable mention All-American awards; five league players of the year; 11 freshman/newcomers of the year; one freshman of the year; 35 players have combined for 55 all-conference honors; 12 conference all-freshmen team members; five conference all-defensive team members; 41 individuals have combined for 105 academic all-conference honors; 14 combined for 16 national academic honors including two academic All-Americans.
Presnell, a Lapwai, Idaho, native graduated from Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, in 1983 with a B.A. in physical education. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from NNU in 2024. He continued his studies in physical education at Seattle Pacific, where he earned a master’s degree in 1989. He and his wife, former SPU gymnast Susan Nolte, live in Meridian, Idaho. They have two children, a daughter, Jacquelyn, and a son, Ryder.
In 2008 he was honored by his alma mater as the “Outstanding Educator of the Year.” While at Seattle Pacific he was asked to throw out the opening pitch at two Seattle Mariners games.
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