STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball head coach Eric Haut has finalized the staff that he will lead heading into the 2026-27 season with the announcement of Brandon Ubel as an assistant coach on Tuesday.
 
Ubel is the fifth and final addition to Haut's staff in his first year with the Texans. In addition to Ubel, Jean Prioleau, Jake Williams and Tre Cobbs, Bo Gray have already been announced as assistant coaches. Haut has worked quickly to build his staff and they are on the recruiting trail building the roster for the 2026-27 season.
 
"Brandon brings a wealth of experience both as a player and a coach," said Haut. "He competed at a high level during his playing days at Nebraska and went on to spend five years playing professionally overseas, gaining valuable knowledge and perspective on the game. That experience is something I valued tremendously—especially having someone who has truly played the position working with our forwards on a daily basis. His ability to teach, connect, and develop that group will make an immediate impact on our program."
 
He has spent seven seasons in his coaching career at three different stops, with Tarleton State being his fourth different program. Ubel also enjoyed a long playing career spending four seasons at Nebraska before heading overseas to play five professional seasons for three different teams. Throughout his coaching career, his teams have carried a 116-106 record. He has worked with three future NBA players during his time as a coach.
 
"Beyond his playing career, Brandon has developed into a strong coach with a great defensive mind and a very detailed approach to the game. He also brings important recruiting experience, particularly within the state of Texas, and has built strong relationships that will help us recruit our state at a high level. Along the way, he has had the opportunity to play and work under some outstanding coaches, including Doc Sadler, Tim Miles, Craig Smith, and Eric Peterson, which has helped shape his philosophy and approach to the game. We're fired up to have Brandon and his family join our program and community. He's a great fit for what we're building, and I can't wait to get to work. Welcome to the 'Ville!"
 
Most recently, Ubel spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at South Dakota. During his time with the Coyotes, the program was 59-69. South Dakota boasted winning seasons in each of his final two seasons with the squad. In 2024-25, the Coyotes won their first Summit League Tournament game with in three seasons.
 
"I'm so excited about the opportunity to woe with and learn from Coach Haut and this entire staff," said Ubel. "The school, athletic department, and basketball program here at Tarleton State are all on the rise and I am so grateful to be a part of it."
 
Prior to his time in Vermillion, he spent one season at the University of Utah as the Director of Scouting. He joined Utah after spending two seasons with Utah State under head coach Craig Smith. Smith then took the Utah job where Ubel joined him for the 2021-22 season. The Utes were 11-20 in his only season with the program.
 
At Utah State, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant. The Aggies enjoyed a pair of 20-win seasons during his time in Logan, Utah. In his first season in 2019-20, Utah State boasted a 23-8 regular season record. The Aggies took home the Mountain West Tournament championship with three consecutive victories in Las Vegas. The Aggies earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In his second season, the Aggies earned an at-large bid after a 20-8 regular season record. The squad earned its second-consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament but lost to Texas Tech.
 
Prior to his coaching career, Ubel was a four-year player at Nebraska under head coaches Doc Stadler and Tim Miles. Ubel finished his four-year career with 893 points and 549 rebounds in 125 career games, ranking 36th in scoring and 20th in rebounding in Nebraska history. Ubel was seventh all-time in games played while his 80.2 career percentage from the free throw line was fifth all-time and the best by a Husker big man.
 
As a senior, he was named co-captain at the beginning of the season and was tabbed the Team MVP by his teammates at the end. He also excelled off the floor earning three Academic All-American awards,  First Team Academic All-Big Ten honors, BIG 12 honor roll and Nebraska Honor Roll. In 2012 he was named Nebraska's Big Ten Sportsmanship nominee.
 
After Nebraska he spent five seasons playing professionally overseas. In his professional career, Ubel played three of those five years in two separate stints with Basic-Fit Brussels Basketball located in Belgium. Ubel played for the Antwerp Giants in 2014-15 in the Belgian Euromillions League – the highest tier of basketball in Belgium. He closed out his professional career by playing the 2017-18 season for Boulazac Basket Dordogne located in France. Throughout his professional career, Ubel was a two-time all-league honoree and finished in the top five in MVP voting his first season.
 
Ubel earned his bachelor's degree in broadcast production from Nebraska in 2013 and his master's degree in physical and sport education in 2021 from Utah State. Ubel and his wife, Stephanie, are excited to join the Texans in Stephenville.
 
The Texans will continue to announce roster addition and the 2026-27 schedule at a later date.