Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Mike Balado announced today the hiring of Vince Walden as assistant coach on his staff.
“I am extremely pleased and excited to welcome Vince and his family to Arkansas State,” Balado said. “Coach Walden brings a wealth of experience to our program, both as a leader and recruiter. His accomplishments at all levels make him an extremely important leader addition to our staff.”
Walden comes to Arkansas State with 17 years of coaching experience, including three years as an assistant at Liberty University (2012-15). Most recently, Walden was national team head coach at the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
“I’m thrilled to join Coach Mike Balado and the Arkansas State men’s basketball staff,” said Walden. “Coach Balado comes from a winning pedigree and is a next level leader. The championship vision that he and Athletic Director Terry Mohajir have is one that I want to be a part of building. This is a tremendous community and my family and I are looking forward to being a part of the Red Wolves’ Nation!”
Walden, a 2017 Naismith Trophy High School Boys Coach of the Year finalist, guided the Ascenders to a 28-2 record this past season and appearance in the DICK’s Sporting Goods High School Nationals as the No. 2 seed. He helped the team to a No. 1 ranking in the Max Preps poll this past season and finished with a 55-12 record over the last two seasons. Trevon Duval, a McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic invitee, shined for Walden this past season at IMG Academy, becoming the first player in the program to be invited to those events.
As head coach, he oversaw four basketball teams and four coaches and was responsible for retention, player transitions and organizing future plans for graduating seniors. He is widely credited with building a culture that was centered on a positive and energetic atmosphere for players while teaching team and individual skills that developed character and leadership qualities, both on and off the court.
Walden was an integral part in Liberty’s 2013 Big South Tournament championship run. The Flames rallied to win four-straight games against three of the top seeds in the tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. During his tenure at Liberty, Walden trained and developed guard Davon Marshall, who was awarded the Big South Tournament MVP connecting on 17-of-24 3-point field goals. Marshall surpassed Seth Curry (102) for the most three-point field goals in a season with 107 in the 2012-13 season.
Prior to joining the Liberty University staff, Walden was national team head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-12 at the IMG Basketball Academy. He compiled a record of 146-56 record in that span and has a combined record of 201-68 in his time with the Ascenders. He has coached or developed over 50 professional players including 2014 second round NBA Draft picks Dwight Powell and DeAndre Daniels.
IMG is an internationally known Sports Academy, which conducts high-level training in basketball, tennis, golf and soccer. A graduate from Longwood University in 2001, Walden was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and a three-year captain for the Lancers.
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