Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 509-313-6374
Brian Michaelson enters his 14th season as an assistant coach at Gonzaga in 2026-27 after previously serving five seasons in other capacities with the Bulldogs. A former Gonzaga student-athlete who worked his way through the program's basketball operations staff before joining head coach Mark Few's coaching staff in July 2013, Michaelson has been an integral part of one of the most successful eras in Gonzaga and NCAA basketball history.
Michaelson has played a significant role in Gonzaga's recruiting, player development, scouting and game-planning efforts throughout his tenure. In his 13 seasons as an assistant coach, he has helped the Bulldogs win 11 West Coast Conference regular-season championships and 12 WCC Tournament titles, earn 13 NCAA Tournament berths, reach the Final Four twice and advance to the NCAA championship game twice.
The 2020 NCAA Tournament berth is included in that total. Gonzaga won the WCC Tournament that season and received the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid before the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bulldogs finished the season 31-2 and ranked No. 2 in the NET. Gonzaga's 2020 berth would have extended the program's NCAA Tournament appearance streak to 28 consecutive seasons.
During the 2025-26 season, Michaelson helped Gonzaga to a 31-4 record, the WCC regular-season and tournament championships and the program's 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Bulldogs earned a No. 3 seed, defeated Kennesaw State in the first round and finished the season after a 74-68 loss to Texas in the second round. Gonzaga's 2026 WCC Tournament championship was the program's 12th during Michaelson's assistant-coaching tenure.
Michaelson has been particularly influential in Gonzaga's recruiting and player-development efforts, helping the Bulldogs land high-profile transfers including Brandon Clarke, Kyle Wiltjer, Byron Wesley, Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams. He has also played a key role in the development of incoming freshmen, redshirts and transfers throughout his tenure.
One of Michaelson's early player-development successes came with Wiltjer, who transferred to Gonzaga and redshirted during the 2013-14 season before averaging 16.8 points per game in 2014-15. Wiltjer followed that season by leading the Bulldogs with 20.4 points per game during Gonzaga's run to the 2016 NCAA Sweet 16.
Michaelson also played an important role in the recruitment and development of Brandon Clarke. After transferring to Gonzaga from San Jose State, Clarke became one of the nation's most dominant players in 2018-19, earning consensus All-America recognition before becoming a first-round NBA Draft selection.
In 2014-15, Michaelson's second season as an assistant, the Bulldogs posted a then-school-record 35-3 record and advanced to the Elite Eight. In 2016-17, Gonzaga went 37-2, captured the WCC regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history before reaching the national championship game.
In 2020-21, Michaelson helped guide Gonzaga to one of the finest seasons in program history. The Bulldogs finished 31-1, went undefeated during the regular season and WCC Tournament, spent the entire season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and advanced to the NCAA championship game. Gonzaga entered the national championship game with a 31-0 record.
In his first season as an assistant coach in 2013-14, Michaelson helped Gonzaga to a 29-7 record, a 15-3 mark in WCC play, the WCC regular-season and tournament championships and regular-season nonconference victories over West Virginia and Colorado State.
Michaelson originally joined the Gonzaga program as a walk-on in 2001-02. He graduated in 2005 with a degree in business administration after being part of five NCAA Tournament teams. Following graduation, the Portland, Ore., native remained in Spokane and worked in real estate development before returning to Gonzaga during the 2008-09 season as an administrative assistant. He was named assistant director of basketball operations in the spring of 2011 before being promoted to assistant coach in 2013.
Michaelson's progression from Gonzaga student-athlete to basketball operations staff member to assistant coach has given him a unique perspective on the program and its culture. His familiarity with Gonzaga's system, university and community has made him a key part of the Bulldogs' continued development and success.
Michaelson played for head coach Gene Potter at Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore. As a senior, he averaged 19.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was named Metro League Player of the Year, first-team All-State, first-team All-State 4A Tournament and MVP of the Oregon Holiday Invitational. He helped Jesuit win the Oregon State Class 4A championship as a junior, averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while earning All-Metro, State 4A Tournament second-team and honorable mention All-State honors.
Michaelson is married to former Gonzaga women's soccer player Sarah Hawkins. The couple has three children, Parker, Cole and Wesley.
