Chico State Athletics

 

Brian Fogel Head Women's Basketball Coach Phone: 530-898-5123 Email: bfogel@csuchico.edu

Brian Fogel is in his 16th year as Head Coach of the Chico State women’s basketball team. Since taking over the program in 2008–09, Fogel has continued the Wildcats’ long tradition of excellence, compiling a 228-163 record, winning one California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title, making 11 postseason appearances, and earning four NCAA Championship Tournament berths. Entering the 2023–24 season, Fogel boasts a career record of 317-212 in 20 years as an NCAA head coach.
 
Several Chico State players have been recognized for their individual efforts during Fogel’s tenure. Over his 15 seasons at the helm, the Wildcats have racked up 37 All- CCAA honors, four All-West Region recipients, and one All-America honor. Fogel himself was named the CCAA Coach of the Year in 2012–13.
 
The 2022–23 campaign proved to be another successful season for Fogel and the Wildcats. Chico State finished with an overall record of 18-11, placing fifth in the CCAA with a 14-8 conference record to reach the CCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The ’Cats were led by guards Brandy Huffhines and Zhane Duckett— both garnered Second Team All-CCAA accolades, with Huffhines also being named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. Seniors Haley Ison and Myli Martinez concluded their Chico State careers by earning All-CCAA Honorable Mentions.
 
After sitting out the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fogel-led Wildcats enjoyed a productive 2021–22 campaign, posting a 14-11 record and a fifth place CCAA finish. Fogel also moved up to No. 2 on Chico State women’s basketball’s all-time victories list in 2021–22, and notched his 200th career win as Wildcats head coach on December 4, 2021.
 
Fogel steered the Wildcats to an 18-11 record in 2019–20 and a fourth place CCAA finish, securing a conference tournament berth. The season was highlighted by senior guard Maddy Wong, who set new Chico State single-season (87) and career (226) 3-point shooting records.
 
The Fogel-led ’Cats registered a 12-13 record in 2018–19, coming up just short of a CCAA Tournament berth. Forward McKena Barker, who finished her Chico State career ranked fourth in program history in rebounds (771) and fifth in double-doubles (22), was named the Chico Enterprise-Record Female Senior Athlete of the Year.
 
Fogel piloted Chico State to a 17-11 record and a fourth place CCAA finish in 2017–18, reaching the conference tournament semifinals. Senior guard Whitney Branham capped off a tremendous Wildcat career, leading the CCAA in scoring and free throw percentage.
 
Fogel guided the Wildcats to a 15-12 record in 2016–17 to earn a postseason berth for the first time in three years. Under Fogel’s tutelage, Chico State posted 10-16 records in both 2014–15 and 2015–16.
 
Fogel led the Wildcats to a 19-10 record in 2013–14, finishing second in the CCAA. Ranked fourth in the West Region, Chico State earned its 10th trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament since the 2002–03 season and advanced to the West Region semifinals.
 
On December 7, 2013, Fogel earned his 100th career victory as Wildcat head coach with a 65-58 win over Sonoma State.
 
Chico State claimed the program’s 12th conference crown in 2012–13, finishing atop the CCAA standings and posting an overall record of 23-6, matching Fogel’s highest single season win total as Wildcats coach. In postseason play, the ’Cats reached the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament and was one of three conference schools to move on to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
Fogel’s 2011–12 Wildcats squad won its final five regular season games to fashion an overall record of 18-11. Chico State’s postseason was highlighted by a road victory over rival Humboldt State in the opening round of the CCAA Tournament and an NCAA Championship Tournament berth.
 
Despite battling injuries and a lineup that at times featured four freshmen on the floor, Fogel steered Chico State to a 15-12 record in 2010–11 and a fifth place finish in the CCAA, earning yet another postseason appearance.
 
Chico State’s 2009–10 season was one of the program’s most exciting in years. Just a game over .500 midway through the season, Fogel rallied the Wildcats to a huge finish— between January 23 and March 2, 2010, the ’Cats won 10 straight games and 13 of 14 to post a 23-10 overall record and a third place CCAA finish. The late-season surge vaulted Chico State into postseason play, where the Wildcats came within one victory of capturing the CCAA Tournament before reaching the NCAA Championship Tournament’s Sweet 16 with West Regional victories over Western Washington and Humboldt State.
 
In his first year as Chico State head coach, Fogel led the Wildcats to a 16-13 record in 2008–09. Despite playing with just two returning starters, Fogel led the ’Cats to the CCAA Tournament semifinals.
 
Fogel served as a Chico State assistant coach in 2007–08, helping guide the Wildcats to a school record-tying 28 wins. He was named the fifth head coach in the program’s history August 4, 2008.
 
Prior to coming to Chico, Fogel served as head coach of the UC Davis men’s basketball program, posting an 89-49 record over five seasons and making two trips to the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament. His 1999–2000 Aggies squad advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.
 
Fogel’s coaching career began in the 1989–90 season, immediately following his graduation from Sonoma State. He helped coach his alma mater to a Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) title and an NCAA Tournament berth. After assisting at UC Berkeley the following season, Fogel moved on to become an assistant coach at San Francisco State, where he helped the Gators bump their win total from seven to 21 in three seasons and ultimately reach the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
Fogel’s first head coaching assignment came in 1994–95 at Skyline Community College, where his team compiled a 16-14 record and advanced to the Northern California Regional Championships. He joined the UC Davis staff for the 1995–96 season and the Aggies were 164-66 during his tenure there.
 
An All-NCAC player while at Sonoma State, Fogel still ranks sixth on the school’s career 3-pointers list (with 141 treys in just 56 games) and fourth in career 3-point shooting percentage (.429). He played his first two years of collegiate ball at Santa Monica College.
 
Fogel earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Sonoma State in 1990 and his master’s degree in health, physical education, and recreation from Saint Mary’s College in 1992.
 
Fogel and his wife, Kerry, have two daughters, Katrina and Brooke. Brooke is a former member of the Chico State volleyball team.
 

Kylie Towry Assistant Women's Basketball Coach Phone: 530-898-4265 Email: ktowry@csuchico.edu

Kylie Towry is in her second year as a member of the Chico State women’s basketball coaching staff. In her initial season under head coach Brian Fogel, the Oregon native helped lead the Wildcats to a 14-11 record and a berth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament—the program’s fourth postseason appearance in five seasons.
 
Towry brought a wealth of coaching experience to the ’Cats when she came to Chico in September, 2021. She served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Division III Willamette University in Salem, Oregon during the 2019–20 season, and in addition to her on-court responsibilities, Towry was also the Bearcats’ scouting and video coordinator, playing a major role in recruiting and player development, overseeing and establishing summer workout programs for players, and managing the team’s various social media accounts.
 
In 2018–19, Towry roamed the sidelines at the Division I level as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Idaho, playing a role in all aspects of the Vandels’ women’s basketball program.
 
Most recently, Towry was part of the coaching staff for the Monarchs Club Team in Salem, Oregon, and worked as a coach and trainer for The PAC training facility in Salem, serving as the head coach for the organization’s high school and middle school teams, as well as providing private training for fourth through 12th grade hoopsters.
 
As a player, Towry was a standout shooting guard at Willamette University, and remains the Bearcats’ all-time scoring leader (1,433 career points) and 3-point shooter (293). She also holds program records for 3-pointers in a game (9), 3-pointers in a season (74), and most points in a season (469). Prior to college, Towry starred for four varsity seasons for the Panthers of South Medford High School.
 
Towry received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Willamette University in 2018, and earned her master’s degree in degree movement and leisure sciences from the University of Idaho in 2019.