Long-time Cal State-Fullerton coach Andy Newman has been named men's basketball coach at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, athletics director Steve Aicinena announced Wednesday.

"Coach Newman has had a stellar career as an assistant coach and he has extensive recruiting contacts throughout the country," said Aicinena. "These factors combined with the efficiency with which his teams have scored points made him an appealing candidate for the position. He is a caring and personable individual who will be a positive influence on our student athletes. We had a fantastic pool of candidates for the position, over 90, and all of the finalists were well-qualified. The search committee has every reason to believe that Coach Newman will have a successful tenure at UTPB."

Newman spent the last 10 seasons at Cal State-Fullerton, serving as the team's interim head coach this past season after nine years as an assistant, five of them as associate head coach. He helped the Titans lead the Big West Conference in scoring in eight of his 10 seasons, including a conference-best 81.8 points per game in 2008 when they were Big West league and tournament champions and earned an automatic bid into t­he NCAA Tournament.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to come to UTPB," said Newman. "There aren't a lot of head coaching jobs available, and I'm fortunate to end up at a good place with a lot of good people. What impressed me the most about UTPB was the people that I met associated with the program and the university. I'm thankful to Dr. Watts and Dr. Aicinena for this opportunity."

Prior to arriving in Orange County, Newman served as the Basketball Operations Coordinator for a season at Fresno State. The 2002-03 Western Athletic Conference champions, he gave individual instruction to guard and post players, assisted in recruiting and scheduling and broke down film.

He started his coaching career as an assistant at Vanguard University for one season before serving in the same capacity for two seasons at West Valley Community College where he started his collegiate playing career.

A 1998 graduate of Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Calif. with a degree in business finance, he helped the Cougars win 30-plus games with a trip to the NAIA Final Four in 1998. Prior to his one season at Azusa Pacific, he spent a year at Southern Utah University where he led the Thunderbirds in minutes and assists. He earned his master's in coaching and athletic administration degree from Concordia University earlier this year.

"People can expect us to, play fast and score lots of points," added Newman. "It's an exciting brand of basketball that's fun to watch. Recruiting students athletes with high character and the aptitude to graduate school will be the cornerstone of the men's basketball  program."