Eric Olen
{{short description|American college basketball coach (born 1980)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Eric Olen
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = New Mexico
| current_conference = Mountain West
| current_record = {{winpct|0|0|record=y}}
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|10|15}}
| birth_place = Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1999–2004
| player_team1 = Spring Hill
| coach_years1 = 2004–2013
| coach_team1 = UC San Diego (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 2013–2025
| coach_team2 = UC San Diego
| coach_years3 = 2025–present
| coach_team3 = New Mexico
| overall_record = {{winpct|240|119|record=y}}
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 0–1 (NCAA DI)
5–4 (NCAA DII)
0–1 (CBI)
| championships = 3 CCAA regular season (2017, 2019, 2020)
4 CCAA tournament (2017–2020)
Big West tournament (2025)
Big West regular season (2025)
| awards = 2× Big West Coach of the Year (2024, 2025)
2× CCAA Coach of the Year (2017, 2020)
NABC Pacific District Coach of the Year (2025)
| coaching_records =
}}
Eric Olen (born October 15, 1980){{Cite tweet|number=1316853022325002241|user=Hoops4Heidi|title=Wishing a Happy Birthday to @CoachEricOlen this cute little boy turned into a hooper, evolved into an excellent coach and an even better person. I am lucky to work with him and more fortunate to call him my friend! @UCSDtritons @UCSDmbb @UCSDwbb|author=Heidi VanDerveer}} is an American college basketball coach who is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of New Mexico. He was previously the head coach at UC San Diego from 2013 to 2025.
Playing career
Olen grew up in Mobile, Alabama and prepped at McGill–Toolen Catholic High School. Olen went on to play collegiately at Spring Hill College, where he was part of three straight NAIA national tournament appearances for the Badgers, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2000.{{Cite web |title=Eric Olen - Head Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches |url=https://ucsdtritons.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/eric-olen/1090 |website=University of California, San Diego}}
Coaching career
Olen joined his former college coach Bill Carr as an assistant at UC San Diego in 2004, and stayed in the role until 2013 before being promoted to head coach after then head coach Chris Carlson left for an administrative role with the West Coast Conference.{{Cite web|url=https://goccaa.org/news/2016/1/2/UCSD_MBB_Coach_Eric_Olen.aspx?path=mbball|title=Eric Olen Takes Over as UC San Diego Head Men's Basketball Coach|website=goccaa.org}}{{Cite web|url=http://ucsdguardian.org/2013/10/21/ucsd-names-new-head-coach/|title=UCSD Names New Head Coach|author=Guardian Staff|date=October 21, 2013}} Olen has since led the Tritons to three CCAA regular season titles and four consecutive conference tournament titles in addition to four NCAA Division II tournament appearances. He guided the Tritons men's basketball program into its status in NCAA Division I as members of the Big West Conference beginning in 2020-21.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/college/sd-sp-uc-san-diego-division-big-west-conference-20171127-story.html|title=UC San Diego makes it official: It's joining Div. I, Big West|date=November 27, 2017|website=San Diego Union-Tribune}}
Head coaching record
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = UC San Diego Tritons
| conference = California Collegiate Athletic Association
| startyear = 2013
| endyear = 2020
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = {{nowrap|2013–14}}
| name = {{nowrap|UC San Diego}}
| overall = 15–11
| conference = 11–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 2014–15
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 16–11
| conference = 14–8
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 2015–16
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 24–8
| conference = 15–5
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2016–17
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 27–6
| conference = 17–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Division II Sweet 16
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season = 2017–18
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 21–11
| conference = 15–7
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = NCAA Division II Round of 64
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2018–19
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 26–8
| conference = 17–5
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason = NCAA Division II Round of 32
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2019–20
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 30–1
| conference = 21–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = Tournament cancelled
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = UC San Diego Tritons
| conference = Big West Conference
| startyear = 2020
| endyear = 2025
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2020–21
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 7–10
| conference = 4–8*
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2021–22
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 13–16
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2022–23
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 10–20
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 9th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2023–24
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 21–12
| conference = 15–5
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = CBI First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 2024–25
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = 30–5
| conference = 18–2
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Division I Round of 64
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = San Diego
| overall = {{Winning percentage|240|119|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|159|79|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = New Mexico Lobos
| conference = Mountain West Conference
| startyear = 2025
| endyear =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2025–26
| name = New Mexico
| overall = 0–0
| conference = 0–0
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = New Mexico
| overall = {{Winning percentage|0|0|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|0|0|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = {{Winning percentage|0|0|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = UC San Diego
| overall = {{winpct|240|119|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|159|79|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = {{winpct|240|119|record=y}}
}}
External links
- [https://golobos.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/coach/eric-olen/ New Mexico Lobos]
- [https://ucsdtritons.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/eric-olen/1781 UC San Diego]
References
{{reflist}}
{{Mountain West Conference men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{UC San Diego Tritons men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{New Mexico Lobos men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Big West Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olen, Eric}}
Category:Basketball players from Mobile, Alabama
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States