I mentioned this move back on June 14th (D2 DIRT) – it’s now official. Army assistant David Belfield has been named as an assistant coach at D2 Belmont Abbey College. Here’s the release:
Charlotte native David Belfield has been named Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Belmont Abbey College, Vice President and Director of Athletics, Stephen Miss, announced. He is the 18th head coach since the program was established in 1953.
Belfield comes to The Abbey after three years as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy (Army West Point), where he helped the Knights to 26 Patriot League wins, the most-ever in a three-year span. Army posted a 42-41 overall record during that time, earning its third winning season in 35 years in 2020-21. The Knights also finished .500 or better each year in league play, occurring for the first time in school history. Working primarily with the defensive game plan, Belfield recruited six student-athletes from the Southeast over the last two years.
“Having conducted an exhaustive and inclusive evaluation of the merits of all applicants, we are thrilled to name David Belfield as Head Coach of Belmont Abbey College’s Men’s Basketball Program,” Miss said. “Without question, Coach Belfield’s alignment with The Abbey’s identity, mission, and values as well as with our implementation model elevated his candidacy and deeply impressed all involved in our search process.
“Evident from the outset, Coach Belfield’s embrace of our charge to Educate Champions: Body, Mind, and Soul will serve our students well. His focus and prioritization on better enabling each and every student to realize his full potential as a whole person will increase significantly the likelihood of individual and collective success on and away from the court. We are very excited to work alongside David to realize our collective vision of building upon a strong foundation to ensure we remain perennially relevant on the national stage in the sport of men’s basketball.”
A graduate of Charlotte Catholic High School, Belfield earned his first coaching position in 2018 at UNC-Charlotte, where he assisted in all aspects of the program including scouting, player development, recruiting and team travel.
“I would like to thank Abbot Placid, President Thierfelder, Athletic Director Stephen Miss, and all the members of the search committee for this incredible opportunity,” Belfield said. “I am humbled and honored to receive the appointment as the new head men’s basketball coach at Belmont Abbey College. Growing up in Charlotte, I have long admired the rich basketball tradition and academic excellence of Belmont Abbey. In my career, I have been blessed to work with incredible people. Without these coaches, student-athletes, and administrators this wouldn’t be possible. I am so thankful to be joining this amazing institution, and I cannot wait to build lifelong relationships with our student-athletes as we help them develop in mind, body, and soul.”
After graduating from Charlotte Catholic High School, Belfield played collegiately for two seasons at USC-Aiken, before moving into a student-assistant coaching role with the Pacers. During his time on the bench, USC-A tripled its win total from six in 2015-16 to 18 the following year. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2018.
