LOGAN, Utah - Rick Karius recently joined the Utah State men's basketball coaching staff, beginning his tenure as the video coordinator for the team on Nov. 1. Karius was previously the director of basketball operations at South Dakota, serving with head coach Craig Smith and assistant coaches Austin Hansen and Eric Peterson. Karius will be on the staff during the 2018-19 campaign before pursuing other career opportunities following the season.
Karius has also made stops at Bradley, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Superior and Southwest Minnesota State, where he recruited current USU director of operations Tramel Barnes as a player. Prior to getting into coaching, Karius was a four-year letterwinner at Wisconsin-La Crosse, earning WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll accolades and serving as the team captain.
Karius took some time with utahstateaggies.com to answer some questions to get to know him better.
Q: You are now the fourth addition from the University of South Dakota. What is it like working with Coach Smith, Coach Peterson and Coach Hansen again?
A: "It's great to be back on staff with all three of them. I've gotten to know a lot about all of them over the years and I've really enjoyed our relationships. Working for Coach Smith again has been great! I'm extremely blessed to have a guy like him in my corner. He's a 'foxhole' guy and truly, truly cares about you."
Q: What will be your role at Utah State?
A: "I will mainly be handling team travel and overseeing our film operations. I will also be assisting with scouts and tracking our offense and defense during games. Our operations staff (Tramel Barnes and Justin Johnson) have really helped me with the transition. With me getting here basically a week before our first game, there really wasn't much time for me to learn the lay of the land. Those two guys have been phenomenal!"
Q: What is your favorite part about coaching?
A: "The relationships you build. Coaching is such a privilege and the amount of people I've come in contact with throughout my time has been remarkable. Whether it's players, coaches, fans, or boosters, I've really enjoyed building those connections."
Q: What is your favorite memory as a basketball coach?
A: "When I was coaching at UW-Green Bay, and we won conference. After the game I remember cutting down the nets and giving my dad the biggest hug. My dad coached at the high school level for 30 years in Wisconsin. He's taught me so much about the game and really got my passion for hoops started. My dad, mom, brother & fiancée have been a tremendous support system for me."
Q: What are you doing when you are not coaching basketball?
A: "Planning my upcoming wedding! My fiancée, Kayla Tetschlag, is an assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin. We have our wedding in May of 2019. With both of us coaching and living 1,300 miles apart, that's definitely made the planning aspect a little bit of a challenge. I've just learned to say 'Yes' to whatever she recommends!"
Q: How did you first get your start in coaching?
A: "As I was finishing up my college playing career, I knew I wanted to coach at the collegiate level. I emailed, called or wrote a letter to over 500 coaches trying to get a job. I only got a handful of responses. I continued to reach out to more coaches and eventually I got offered a job at Southwest Minnesota State University by head coach Greg Stemen. I actually helped recruit Tramel Barnes to come play there. "
Q: You have lived most of your life in the Midwest, what is your first impression of Logan?
A: "Cache Valley is an absolutely remarkable place. I've never been to Utah prior to coming here. When I was making my drive out here, I remember going past Bear Lake and seeing the mountains in the background. There are a lot of breathtaking views."
Q: Even though you will be at Utah State for a short time, what are your goals for the year?
A: "My main goal is to help our players and coaches in any way possible! I've also always had the goal of making the NCAA Tournament. I made it my freshman year as a player, but never as a coach. In my coaching career I've been to three NITs and the CBI. "
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics).
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