/NORTHERNIOWAN
CEDAR FALLS, IA
@NORTHERNIOWAN
WWW.NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026
VOLUME 122, ISSUE 26
Courtesy/UNI Athletics
Kyle Green and his wife Michele make their way down the McLeod Center steps. Green became the program’s 26th head coach on April 1.
Kyle Green to lead UNI men’s basketball By Michael Spahn
Assistant Sports Editor
Northern Iowa men’s basketball named former longtime assistant coach Kyle Green the 26th head coach in program history. Green spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball program. The Cedar Falls resident left UNI to become an assistant coach at Iowa State in 2021 while his son, AJ Green, was in college becoming a standout player for the Panthers. When coach Ben Jacobson left for Utah State, Green knew he wanted to come back. He called the university to express his interest in the position, and the rest was history. “I didn’t know the right way to go about it, but I did reach out,” said Green. “I wanted them to know right away how enthusiastic I would be for this opportunity. I didn’t know if I would have a chance or not. But I knew if I didn’t try, I’d kick myself.” Despite having the assistant tag for a long time, this will be the fourth time Green enters a head coaching role, with previous stints at Western Colorado (2000-01), Lewis University (2004-06) and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2011-12). During his time as an as-
sistant coach with UNI, Green helped the Panthers earn four Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles in 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016, along with four NCAA Tournament appearances in those same years. Green has been a part of many winning seasons during his time at UNI and will look to build off Jacobson’s success. “I alluded to it when I was talking about Jake’s vision and his belief. It was relentless,” said Green. “He truly believes that. So as a result of being on his side for all those years, I truly believe that. There’s more that can happen. There’s more that will happen, and we’ll wake up every day and make that happen.” Green not only knows what it takes to be successful in the Missouri Valley Conference, but also in one of college basketball’s best conferences, the Big 12. During his five years as an assistant coach under T.J. Otzelberger at Iowa State, Green was known for curating one of the top defensive units in the country. He helped the Cyclones reach the Sweet 16 twice, along with earning a Big 12 Tournament title in 2024. Green plans to take a lot of what he learned from Otzelberger and apply it to his tenure at UNI. “He does a great job of direct and honest communication at all times with everybody involved in the program, so everybody knows where they
stand,” said Green. “He lives and breathes it every day, and really his actions and his words line up. And that does not always happen in this profession, and it does with him. He lives it every day, which makes it easy to work for him, makes it easy for him to lead men.” In today’s world of athlete name, image and likeness monetization, head coaches have an entirely new element to control in terms of keeping players satisfied. With a high rate of mid-major players wanting to take the leap into a Power Four program, Green wants to implement a similar philosophy that Jacobson had during his 25 years at the university. “We will still be foundationally a developmental program that recruits high school kids from the Midwest — Iowa kids, Minnesota, Wisconsin — that’s not changing,” said Green. “We’re going to get them here because it’s a special place, and once we get them here, we believe that the value in the people, the value of the education and the value of the things we’re going to do on a daily basis will make them want to stay.” Green will begin building a staff immediately and wants to emphasize bringing in young coaches. It’s been reported that James Pollard, a video coordinator last season for the Panthers and a former student manager, will be
on Green’s staff. Announcements of additions to the staff are likely imminent. Green knows the legacy of the UNI basketball program through the legendary coaches who came before him. His goal is to maintain that legacy and build a program the school and community mem-
Courtesy/UNI Athletics
bers can be proud of. “I’ll wake up every morning thinking about that and be motivated to live in the legacy of the coaches and the players who have come before me,” said Green. “And one of the ways we’ll do that is by trying to incorporate the past.”
Mark Nook (left), Michele Green (middle left), Kyle Green (middle right), and Dr. Megan Franklin (right), pose with a UNI basketball jersey at Kyle Green’s introductory press conference.