Feb. 4, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
In men’s basketball coach Ryan Orton’s first season, the Wolves, like many of Western’s athletics programs, are moving in the right direction. They’ve already surpassed last season’s win total and are fielding an improved defense. Senior forward and guard Jadin Penigar, a transfer from UT Tyler, leads the team in scoring at 20.7 points per game, which is the second highest among all players in the GNAC. Penigar also hit the go-ahead shot with one second left against Seattle Pacific, the school he started his college career with, giving the Wolves a 50-49 win and their eighth win of the season.
When asked about the addition of Penigar and how he’s come along this season, coach Orton said, “I had coached against Jadin when he was at Seattle Pacific and so knew what he was about, knew his skill set, thought he was a bigger guard that could create his own shot, could create offense and when we were kind of formulating our team this summer that was one of the pieces that we didn’t really think that we had at the time and so just tried to sell him on the vision of being a guy that we could play to and through.”
Coach Orton, who is from Creswell, Oregon, carries an extensive coaching resume with him that’s allowed him to develop as a coach, having worked in an assistant role at Alaska Fairbanks, a head coaching role at Western Wyoming Community College and has spent time at the NCAA Division I level as an assistant with Eastern Washington and Montana State. “I always think about the people that have had a lot of influence on me as a person, but then professionally as a coach,” Orton said. “All the guys that I’ve worked for, all the head coaches I’ve worked for. Coach Osborne at Anchorage. I learned a ton from coach Giacoletti, Eastern Washington. Coach Huse at Montana State. Coach Hills, who was a former coach here, I worked for him at Northwest Nazarene. So I think you kind of take things and then you try to mold it to what you’re about. So I think I’ve learned a lot from guys I’ve worked for and obviously my dad was a coach, I played for him so I learned a lot from him.”
Something fans might notice at a Wolves men’s basketball game is the intensity at which Orton coaches the team. He’s not afraid to be vocal and hold players accountable, but the team responds to it well, a testament to the positive culture being built. After being asked about his style and willingness to coach the team passionately, he said, “I think what I appreciate about them is they allow me to, but they allow me to because I have a relationship with them.” He continued, saying, “I think our players understand we’re there for them and so a lot of our conversations are just about life, about ‘Hey, who’s your favorite NBA team?’ Just things like that, so that when it’s time to get on them, they understand that you care and there’s a relationship and there’s a foundation that’s been set so that they can quickly have some resilience and just move on and understand the message.”
Fans can catch the Wolves’ next game in the Wolves Athletic Center, formerly called the New P.E. Building, on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 4:15 p.m. when they take on the Saint Martin’s Saints, who currently sit at first place in the GNAC. The Wolves will be looking to avenge a 74-57 defeat from earlier in the season.
Contact the author at howlsports@mail.wou.edu
