*from UNI Athletics press release
UNI head men’s basketball coach Kyle Green on Monday announced the members of his coaching staff for the 2026-27 season.
Green retains three members of the Panther staff from last season in assistant coaches Seth Tuttle, Marc Sonnen and James Pollard. Northern Iowa meanwhile welcomes three new faces in assistant coaches Abe Woldeslassie and Klint Carlson, along with Director of Basketball Operations Brian Pearson.
A West Fork alum and 2015 UNI graduate, Tuttle joined the Northern Iowa staff in 2018 as a graduate assistant before moving to the video coordinator position in 2020. His influence and experience was key in installing UNI’s offense and his experience as a high-level player has given the Panther team another important voice in the room. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2021.
Woldeslassie joins the Panther staff as assistant coach and general manager with 16 years of experience across the Division I and Division III landscape. The Minneapolis, Minnesota native spent last season as an assistant coach under Tim Bergstraser at Denver, where the Pioneers tied for fourth in the Summit League standings with their best finish in the last eight years.
One of the most prolific scorers and sharp shooters in program history, Sonnen returns to the Panther coaching staff for his second season. The St. Paul, Minnesota native previously spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the Division II level.
Two-time MVC Tournament champion and former Panther forward Klint Carlson returns to his alma mater after spending last season as an assistant coach at Furman University in South Carolina. The Waverly, Iowa native played a key role in developing a Paladins squad that won 22 games and ran the table to win the Southern Conference Tournament title and reach this year’s NCAA Tournament.
