Isaac Chew, who has experience coaching in four different power conferences, enters his fourth season on the Lobos’ coaching staff in 2024-25. After three seasons as an assistant coach at UNM, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach in April of 2024. Chew has served as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level since 2007 (17 years) and has guided six different programs to the postseason.
Prior to arriving at New Mexico, Chew spent time with Murray State (2007-11), Missouri (2011-12), Marquette (2012-14), Virginia Tech (2014-16), Texas A&M (2016-19) and Grand Canyon (2019-21).
Over his career, Chew has coached several NBA draft selections including Robert Williams III (2018), Isaiah Canaan (2013), Marcus Denmon (2012) and Kim English (2012). He has also helped lead teams to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013 and Sweet 16 in 2018.
Last season, Chew helped guide New Mexico to a 26-10 record, winning the Mountain West Championship and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Lobos downed Air Force, and three NCAA Tournament teams, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State, on consecutive days in Las Vegas to become the first team in Mountain West history to win the conference tournament by winning four games. UNM had its first winning season in the Mountain West (10-8) in six years, an accomplishment bolstered by the conference getting a record six NCAA bids as over half the league played in March Madness. The Lobos were ranked in the AP poll for three straight weeks during late January/early February, including a No. 19 ranking on Jan. 29, the program’s highest rank in a decade. The 2023-24 Lobos were led by five All-Mountain West players, Donovan Dent (second team), JT Toppin (second team and Mountain West Freshman of the Year), Jaelen House (third team and the media’s Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year), Jamal Mashburn, Jr. (media third team) and Mustapha Amzil (Mountain West Co-Sixth Man of the Year).
The 2022-23 season saw the Lobos get off to a 14-0 start, making them the last undefeated team in the nation. New Mexico finished the season with a 22-12 record, capped by a selection to the NIT, for its first 20-win season and postseason appearance in nine years. UNM earned its first AP ranking since 2014 in December, reaching a high of No. 21 in the poll. The program won its first tournament title in a decade when it took the crown at the Lobo Classic in November. During the season, UNM defeated four teams that won their conference regular season title (Iona, Oral Roberts, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State), tied for most in the nation. The 2022-23 Lobos were led by first-team All-Mountain West guards Jamal Mashburn, Jr. (the conference’s top scorer) and Jaelen House (third in the nation in steals), along with conference newcomer of the year Morris Udeze (the conference’s leader in double-doubles).
In his first season in Albuquerque in 2021-22, he helped the Lobos see a seven-win improvement, from six wins the year before to 13 wins, despite playing half its games against NCAA and NIT competition. The Lobos, who led the Mountain West in scoring, defeated four NCAA Tournament teams during the season, their most wins over teams in the tournament in seven years. A win over No. 22 Wyoming was the Lobos’ first ranked victory in three years.
Chew arrived at UNM after spending two years at Grand Canyon. His tenure with the Lopes followed three seasons at Texas A&M, where the Aggies reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2018, led by first-round NBA selection Robert Williams III. Texas A&M was a No. 7 seed that season after a 22-win campaign that was capped with tournament wins over No. 10-seed Providence and No. 2 North Carolina to reach the second week.
While at Virginia Tech for two seasons, Chew helped orchestrate a massive turnaround that took the Hokies from back-to-back, two-win seasons in ACC play to a 10-8 conference mark and an NIT bid in 2015-16.
Chew was on the staff of four consecutive conference championship teams from 2010-13 as he helped lead Murray State to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships, Missouri to a Big 12 Tournament championship and Marquette to a Big East Conference title.
During his time at Murray State, Chew not only helped the Racers to a pair of league titles, but also to a 31-5 record in 2009-10 en route to its 2010 NCAA appearance. The 13-seeded Racers knocked off No. 4-seed Vanderbilt to advance to the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Overall during his four seasons at Murray State, the Racers accumulated a 91-39 record and a 57-17 conference record. Chew also helped Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan develop into a 2013 NBA Draft pick, which led to a six-year NBA career.
While at Missouri, Chew helped lead the Tigers to a 30-5 record in 2011-12 on the way to a Big 12 Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. He was on the staff that helped develop Phil Pressey (three NBA seasons), Marcus Denmon (2012 NBA Draft pick) and Kim English (2012 NBA Draft pick).
In Chew’s two seasons at Marquette, prior to his time at following Buzz Williams to Virginia Tech, he helped lead the Golden Eagles to the 2012-13 Big East Regular-Season Co-Championship and a trip to the Elite Eight. As the No. 3 seed, Marquette defeated 14-seed Davidson, 6-seed Butler and 2-seed Miami. In addition, he helped to assemble one of the top-15 recruiting classes in the nation in 2013. Among the players he coached at Marquette was Juan Toscano-Anderson, a member of the 2022 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors.
Chew, a native of Chicago, Ill., earned his undergraduate degree at Avila University in Kansas City. He went on to earn his master’s degree in business administration from Baker University.