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Coaches
Head Coach Randy Rogers
Never settling for mediocre, Randy Rogers brought a relentless pursuit of perfection to CSI when he took the job five years ago. It has paid off. In his second season, Rogers brought home a regular-season championship, Region 18 Tournament championship and a NJCAA consolation championship. The next year, he did even better. The Golden Eagles, not only won the Scenic West Athletic Conference title, the Region 18 Tournament title and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA poll. That year, CSI brought home runner-up hardware at the national tournament, finishing higher than any Region 18 team has ever finished.
In the past four seasons, Rogers has posted a 113-23 (.832) overall record and a Region 18 record of 67-13 (.838). He has 127 college wins in the five years. Named Region 18 coach of the year in 2003-04 and 2004-05, Rogers coached three All-Americans, seven academic All-Americans and won two SWAC Championships, two runner-up SWAC finishes and two Region 18 Championships. His teams have been nationally ranked since the 2003-04 season. During his time at CSI, he has helped 23 players go on to compete at a 4-year college or university.
An intense coach, Rogers focuses on teaching fundamentals, playing aggressive hard-nosed defense and running when at all possible. His philosophy is simple - work hard and positive results will follow.
Rogers came to CSI from Spring Creek High School where his teams qualified for the state tournament in each of his five seasons. He was named coach of the year in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. He holds a conference record of 50-10 (.833) and an overall record of 92-49. Rogers earned his bachelor's degree from Utah State University in physical education. Prior to attending Utah State, he attended Salt Lake CC and Dixie State College.
Rogers and his late wife of 22 years, Lori, have four daughters: Tristan, Lauren, Kyla and Jordan.
Assistant Coach Merrilee Sears
Merrilee Udy-Sears begins her third season as a CSI assistant coach. The talented player turned coach has brought experience and knowledge to the court.
"Merrilee is intelligent and hard working," said CSI head coach Randy Rogers. She is very knowledgeable about the game. She is intense, and does the little things that make our program successful.
Sears, who primarily works with the guards, has been invaluable to the program.
She coached two-time All-American Maria Moore and helped five players move on to the 4-year level.
Her duties also include academic advising. In the two years Merrilee has been with CSI, the Golden Eagles have had five Academic All-Americans.
"Merrilee brings experience, competitiveness, organization and the ability to communicate with the players," Rogers said. "CSI is very lucky to have her on the coaching staff."
Sears played two seasons at Ricks College before finishing her college career at Idaho State University.
At Ricks, she started on a team that qualified for nationals in 2002, the same year she earned Region 18 all-tournament honors as well as led the team as the co-captain. While there, she averaged 4.3 assists per game and 7.6 points per game.
At ISU, she also had a big impact, leading the Bengals to an NIT appearance in 2004. Her on-the-court performance is reflected in the ISU record books.
Sears ranks third all time for career assists per game and first in career assist/turnover ratio. She is the all-time leader for single-season assist/turnover ratio. After playing for the Bengals, Sears graduated from ISU with a bachelor's degree in secondary education. She is currently working on her Master's Degree in Educational Administration.
Sears, who was born and raised in American Falls, played her high school ball at American Falls High School. She led them to three third-place finishes at state and a state championship her senior year. That year she garnered state player of the year honors.
She recently married Brian Sears.