Utah officially adds a new face to the Runnin’ Utes coaching staff

The first official piece has come together for Craig Smith reassembling his coaching staff.

On Friday, the University of Utah announced that Loren Leath will join the Runnin’ Utes’ staff as an assistant coach. The Runnin’ Hoops Podcast’s Andrew Crowley was the first to report the news earlier in the week.

That leaves the Utes with one more assistant coach opening to fill, after two Utah assistants left for similar positions at other programs — Chris Burgess to BYU and DeMarlo Slocum to Washington.

Who is Loren Leath?

Leath spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Sacramento State, where in his first season he helped the Hornets post the most wins (14) by a first-year coaching staff in program history.

Sacramento State also earned a top-six seed in the Big Sky tournament and a subsequent first-round bye, the school’s first since joining the league in 1996.

“I would like to thank Mr. (Utah athletic director Mark) Harlan, Coach Smith and the rest of the Utah staff,” Leath said in a statement. “My family and I are thrilled for this wonderful opportunity. Salt Lake is a great city and the University of Utah is a great place. I’m pumped to be a part of this program and am ready to hit the ground running! GO UTES!!”

Leath was named to the Silver Waves Media’s list of this year’s 100 rising stars in college basketball, a compilation of the top rising assistant coaches at the mid-major level. It’s a list that includes others familiar in Utah, including UNLV’s Barrett Perry and Utah State’s Andy Hill.

This past season, Sacramento State went 10-24 during Leath’s second year working as an assistant with the Hornets.

Leath is a member of the Sacramento State Hall of Fame. He averaged more than 11 points per season while playing shooting guard for the Hornets from 2005-09, including a 17.4 average as a senior.

Leath finished as Sacramento State’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,489 points.

What did he do before Sacramento State?

Leath has deep connections in California as a developmental basketball coach, having worked with the AAU program he played for, the Oakland Soldiers.

He spent 10 years with the Soldiers after his playing days, serving as a coach from 2012-16 and vice president from 2016-22.

During his tenure as vice president, the Soldiers created chapters in San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Stockton and Sacramento and started the organization’s first women’s program.

More than 100 of the players who’ve gone through the Soldiers program have earned Division I scholarships and 11 former Soldiers are currently playing in the NBA or G League.

Among the NBA players who came from the Soldiers program when Leath was there include Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, Jalen Green and Ziaire Williams, who were all top-10 NBA draft picks.

“We are thrilled to announce that Loren Leath will be joining the Runnin’ Utes basketball family,” Smith said in a statement. “Coach ‘Lo’ has deep connections in California and throughout the country. He is not only connected, but he is a connector as well.

“Ute fans will love his passion and charisma for people and the game of basketball. His experiences as a hall of a fame player­­­­­, collegiate coaching background and his firsthand knowledge at the grassroots level will help us navigate the ever-changing landscape. We are excited to welcome coach Lo and his wonderful family!”