Coach Bill Himmelberg begins his 15th season as the head coach at the University of Providence.
In 2023-24 he led the Lady Argos to a program record in wins and a NAIA National Runner-Up finish. A fixture at both the University of Providence and in the Great Falls community for decades, Himmelberg has enjoyed unprecedented success as the leader of the women’s basketball team here at the University of Providence. Under Himmelberg’s leadership, the Lady Argos have a school record 255 wins and have broken more than 29 different school records during his time at the university.
More impressive than Coach Himmelberg’s achievements on the court are his high academic standards for his team. The programs emphasis on academics helped his team achieve the highest team grade point average in the nation during the 2011 season (3.65). The Lady Argos have been in the NAIA top 25 for academics every year Himmelberg has guided the program.
Coach Himmelberg has coached six NAIA All-Americans, two NAIA National All-Tournament Team selections, 30 All-Conference players, three Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year, two sixth man of the year, three Frontier Conference Defensive Players of the year, and one Frontier Conference player of the year.
In 2022-23, seniors Reed Hazard and Brooklynn Harn led the Argos to be the first team in NAIA history to be selected to represent the United States as TEAM USA in the FISU games in Merida Mexico. In the postseason, junior Maddy Dixon help to lead an Argos team plagued by sickness to a second-round appearance in the Frontier conference tournament.
The 2021-22 Argos team led by senior All-Americans Emilee Maldonado and Parker Esary won the regular season conference championship, achieved the most wins in school history at 25, and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament. Maldonado finished the season as a First Team All-American, while Esary finished as a Second Team All-American. Maldonado is the second player ever in UP history to be named All-American four years in a row, while Esary is the first five time All-American in NAIA history.
The 2020-21 Argos team had a total of seven games being canceled during the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the NAIA National Tournament, the team won their opening game against University of Cumberlands, and nearly beat Dakota State in the second round behind 32 points from Esary. Maldonado finished the season as a First Team All-American, while Esary finished as a Third Team All-American. Maldonado was the first athlete under Himmelberg to be named First Team All-American in program history, while Esary is the first four-year All-American in program history.
The 2019-20 Lady Argos were led by seniors Jenna Randich, Bailey Cartwright, and junior All-Americans Emilee Maldonado and Parker Esary. The Lady Argos had a solid regular season finishing fifth in the Frontier Conference. As they entered the conference tournament the Lady Argos became the hottest team in the country beating #24 Rocky 62-50 in the first round before moving on to defeat #16 Carroll College 73-66 in the second round, both on the road to advance to the championship game. The Lady Argos would go on to defeat # 21 Lewis and Clark State 69-66 to win the Argos first Frontier Conference championship since 1985, they also became the first women’s team to win three playoff games on the road to win a championship. The Argos would finish the year ranked #23 in the country and receive an automatic bid to the national tournament for the fifth time in the last six years. Unfortunately, the national tournament would be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2018-19 Lady Argos were led by junior Jenna Randich and sophomore sensations Emilee Maldonado and Parker Esary. Throughout their season they amassed several upsets including wins against #14 Masters University, # 8 Westmont College, #22 Arizona Christian, #8 Carroll College, and the eventual National Champion #1 Montana Western. Those victories earned the Lady Argos an at-large bid to the 2019 NAIA National Tournament.
In 2017-2018 The Lady Argos led by senior guard Stephanie McDonagh returned to the NAIA National Tournament as an eight seed to face the defending National Champion one seed Oklahoma City. The Argos continued their tradition of upsets beating Oak City 81-76 behind stellar play from All-Americans Steph Mcdonagh, Emilee Maldonado, Parker Esary, and junior Jenna Randich. The Argos would fall in the second round.
In 2015-16 the program tied the school record with 24 victories and reached the Frontier Conference Championship Game. The Lady Argos were Awarded a No. 5 seed at the NAIA National tournament and upset the four seed Central Methodist (Missouri) 70-58 and the one seed Lyon (Arkansas) 60-50 to reach the Elite Eight. Senior guard Erin Legel earned her third nod on the Frontier Conference first team, while junior post Nneka Nnadi was a second team honoree. Legel earned honorable mention All-American honors (WBCA), second team All-American (NAIA), and All-Tournament 1st team at the NAIA national tournament. Nnadi was also named Honorable mention All-American by the NAIA.
In 2014-15 the program set a school record with 24 wins. The Lady Argos were awarded a five seed making their first ever appearance in the NAIA National tournament. UP upset the four seed Loyola LA 73-54 and the one seed Langston Ok 72-69 with a buzzer beating shot by senior all-American Lindsey Abramson. The Argos would fall in the elite eight to National champion Oklahoma City with junior guard Erin Legel being named first team all-tournament.
Prior to being named head coach at UP, Himmelberg was the lead assistant with the Lady Argos for three years. Before joining the Argos, Himmelberg coached at C.M. Russell High School as a varsity assistant and sophomore head coach. He was the head coach of the Great Falls Home School team from 1994-1999. During that time, Himmelberg’s teams had an impressive 118-39 record, including two state championships and a fifth-place finish in the National Tournament. Himmelberg also coached the Treasure State Academy team and finished his tenure there with a 92-31 record.
Coach Himmelberg has been the owner-operator of McDonald's of Great Falls since 1988. His vast experience includes 30 years of business and reinvestment planning. Bill has been married to his lovely wife Pati for over 30 years. The couple has one son Joe Himmelberg, married to Cristina and one daughter Katie Brooks, married to Austin along with two grandchildren Leah and Isiah.
