Doug Oliver enters his eight season as the head coach at Idaho State University, having turned Idaho state basketball back into a conference title contender yearly. Oliver, now the third-longest tenured coach in Idaho State University basketball history, has proved stability both on and off the court, as the Bengals have now finished in the top three of the Big Sky in three of the last five years, and have made the Big Sky Tournament Semifinals in two of the last three years. Last year Idaho State slugged it's way through a tough 27-game schedule, missing out on the conference tournament for the first time since 2001, but ISU still came up with some big wins on the way to their 9-18 season. The Bengals swept the state of Idaho, defeating Idaho for the first time since 1996, winning 74-70 in Reed Gym. Idaho State then turned around and defeated Boise State 64-59 in Boise for ISU's first win in the capital city since 1990. The Bengals also picked up a record-tying 24-point win over rival Weber State in Reed Gym as well. Oliver's coaching efforts didn't go unnoticed, as Idaho State picked up two Honorbale Mention All-Conference picks, as well as the Big Sky's Freshman of the Year. In 2003-04, Oliver drew his toughest assignment, a daunting schedule that ended up going 31 games, and a travel itinerary that featured nearly 25,000 miles, more than the circumference of the Planet Earth. To top it off, he ended the season with just seven scholarship players. Yet, Oliver led his charges to a 13-18 overall mark, but more importantly a 7-7 Big Sky record, giving Idaho State a tie for second place, their best conference finish since the 1993-94 season. The team featured one of the nation's most exciting players in Marquis Poole, and one of the nation's top three-point shooters in Jeff Gardner. Despite the injury-depleted roster, the Bengals qualified for their second straight Big Sky semifinal appearance, and they won a home conference tournament game for the second straight year. Oliver was also at his best in close games, as Idaho State won four conference home games by a single point on last second plays, including a 91-90 double overtime win over eventual conference champion Eastern Washington that put ISU into the Big Sky Tournament. For his efforts, Oliver oversaw a pair of Big Sky All-Conference players, and one All-Tournament selection. In 2002-03, the Bengals had their first winning season since 1996-97, going 15-14 overall, and 7-7 in the league, good for a tie for third place. The Bengals were especially tough in their refurbished home of Reed Gym, going 10-2 in the friendly confines, including an 85-74 win over Northern Arizona in ISU's first home conference tournament game since 1977. Oliver also oversaw three players earn All-Big Sky honors. Scott Henry and Jeremy Brown each earned All-Conference accolades, while Marquis Poole was named Honoable Mention. In 2002-03, the Bengals scored a sweep of second place Eastern Washington, as well as a win over 2002 NIT Participant Tennessee Tech. The Bengals had several heartstopping finishes in 2002-03, including a double-overtime win over Eastern Washington in Reed Gym, and two wins on last second shots over Montana State and Eastern Washington. Idaho State basketball has shown to be exciting under Doug Oliver, as the Bengals have played 19 overtime games since January of 2000. In 2000-01, Idaho State finished 14-14 overall, but they went 10-6 in the Big Sky, defeating every single Big Sky team along the way. The Bengals won their final three games of the regular season, and they defeated eventual conference champion Cal State Northridge 79-73 in Holt Arena. The Bengals also became the first Big Sky team ever to sweep the Montana-Montana State road trip by winning both games in overtime as the Bengals defeated the Griz 81-77 in Missoula on a Fox Sports broadcast, and then they turned around and took out Montana State 77-73 in overtime the next night. In his career at Idaho State, Oliver has shown he can recruit top flight talent, and he's also proven he can turn regular talent into something special. Oliver's solid recruiting efforts have landed some tremendous talent into the Bengal program over the past few seasons. Heading that list of newcomers was Jordie McTavish, a transfer from the University of Utah who played for Team Canada, helping them to a berth in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. McTavish played just one season at Idaho State due to injuries, but he earned Big Sky Newcomer of the Year honors in that season, and placed himself on several ISU top 10 lists. Ironically, it was McTavish's season-ending injury in August of 1999 that showed Oliver's true coaching abilities. Needing a point guard, Oliver handed the reigns over to senior Stephen Brown, who had a shaky three-year career up to that point, but under Oliver's tutelage, Brown flourished, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky honors, and setting a then-school record in single-season three-point percentage. In fact, Brown led all seniors in the NCAA in 1999-2000 in that category, and Brown entered the top ten list in five ISU records after his breakthrough season. During his first year with the Bengals, Oliver took an undermanned squad and doubled their conference win total from the year before. At the end of his first year, one of Oliver's recruits, Kevin Sweetwyne, earned All-Big Sky Conference honors, and he also was named to College Hoops Insider's All-Junior College transfer team, which placed Sweetwyne alongside current NBAers Steve Francis (Maryland) and Chris Porter (Auburn). In 1999-2000, Idaho State started out 5-5 before back-to-back heartbreakers, including a loss on a shot that became the national play of the year, which set the Bengals on a losing streak they could never fully recover from. The Bengals also lost the services of their only returning All-Conference performer in Sweetwyne for four games to a severe ankle sprain, the effects of which lingered all season. Oliver was named the 19th head coach in Bengal history on March 5, 1998 after 12 seasons as the top assistant at Stanford University. He worked with former Cardinal head coach Mike Montgomery in turning the Cardinal into a perennial national contender. The Cardinal advanced to the Final Four in his final season, finishing with a 30-5 mark. Stanford's four National Invitation Tournament appearances were highlighted by their 1991 championship, capping a 20-13 season. While at Stanford, Oliver witnessed 235 wins in 12 seasons, and 124 conference victories, an average of over ten conference wins per season. During his tenure, Stanford had seven 20+ win seasons, including 1997-98's 30-5 mark and a 26-7 record in his third season, 1988-89. Stanford qualified for the postseason in ten of his twelve years, including six NCAA Tournament berths. Prior to his stint at Stanford, Oliver had successful runs as an assistant coach at Utah and Boise State. While at Utah, he was a part of the 1985-86 Ute squad that went 20-10, earning a share of the Western Athletic Conference Championship and an NCAA tournament berth. At Boise State, Oliver served from 1976-80, and interestingly enough, he assumed the position that was vacated by Mike Montgomery when he left BSU to coach at the University of Montana. At Boise State, Oliver was coach of the freshman basketball team, and he coached the men's golf team as well. He served under head coach Bus Connor, a member of the Idaho State Hall of Fame. Oliver has been a highly successful coach on the high school level with stops at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Whitefish High School in Montana and Tulelake High School in California. Oliver has proven a hit with the media, both locally and nationally. He five times in the last six years has been a member of www.collegeinsider.com's Runway to the Fashion Four, as one of America's best dressed coaches, including four conference titles. He again was named the league's top dressed coach last year for the third straight year.