Utah Basketball Assistant Eric Peterson Named Head Coach At South Dakota

SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah men’s basketball assistant Eric Peterson has been named the head coach of South Dakota on Tuesday afternoon.

Eric Peterson will leave Utah after one season on Craig Smith’s staff and return to South Dakota where he was an assistant from 2014-18 under Smith.

It will be Peterson’s second head coaching position after serving as the athletic director and head coach at Williston State College in North Dakota for two seasons from 2012-14. He led the program to a 52-15 record with a 2014 Mon-Dak Conference championship and a 2013 Region XIII championship. In two seasons, Peterson had two NJCAA All-Americans and was the Mon-Dak Coach of the Year.

🚨 Eric Peterson will be named head men's basketball coach at a press conference 11 a.m. Wednesday. Peterson was an assistant for @SDCoyotesMBB under Craig Smith from 2014-18.

📰:https://t.co/gjUTyxUVKj#WeAreSouthDakota x #GoYotes🐾 pic.twitter.com/Af6PH6V7Dh

— South Dakota Coyotes (@SDCoyotes) March 15, 2022

Peterson started his career at Williston State as an assistant coach from 2005-09. Then he went to Minnesota State Moorhead from 2009-11 before going back to Williston State as the head coach and AD. After that stop, he joined Craig Smith at South Dakota from 2014-18. Peterson went with Smith to Utah State from 2018-21 and again to Utah in 2021.

Peterson is an all-around basketball coach but is known for developing big men and recruiting. He found Neemias Queta in Portugal and developed him into an NBA player.

The West Salem, Wisconsin native has helped Branden Carlson’s progression that led to an All-Pac-12 selection this season for the Runnin’ Utes.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.

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