Mark Darnall is returning to the North Valley hoping to help lead the Chico State men’s basketball team reach the peak of NCAA Division II basketball. Wildcats Head Coach Greg Clink introduced Darnall as his new top assistant Thursday following the recent departure of long-time sidekick Lucas Gabriel to Metro State in Denver.
Darnall spent last season as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. But prior to that, he spent five seasons at UC Davis as assistant coach and director of basketball operations.
“I’m really excited about what Mark brings to our program. He is really going to connect with our student-athletes and help them mature into men,” Clink said. “He is also a fantastic recruiter who will continue to help us target the top players in the state.”
The Aggies set a slew of new program records and finished the season as the Big West Conference’s top-ranked defense. In addition to his duties and responsibilities as one of the team’s assistant coaches, he handled all administrative areas of the program, including video and practice coordination, team travel, scouting, budgeting, schedule coordination, marketing, academic monitoring, community outreach, student-athlete development, and supervision of the program’s team managers and interns.
During Darnall’s tenure, UC Davis captured its inaugural Big West championship in 2015, and earned its first Division I postseason appearance when the Aggies appeared in the National Invitation Tournament. That season, the men’s basketball team posted its first 6-0 start in 102 years.
When their historic season ended, the Aggies ended the season as national three-point champions shooting a blistering .447 clip from behind the arc. That mark is the highest single-season three-point percentage since the three-point line was moved back in 2009 and Indiana University in 1994.
In is one season at Wisconsin-Platteville, Darnell was responsible for the Pioneers’ recruiting, opponent scouting, and on-floor player development and coaching assignments.
Previously, Darnall served as a video coordinator at Bradley University (2010-11) and was an assistant coach at Peoria Christian High School for the 2009-10 season.
A Lake Mills, Wisconsin native, Darnall played collegiately at Eureka College in Illinois where he led the Red Devils in scoring and shot 41.4 percent from three-point territory in 2007-08. He was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for his achievements on the court and in the classroom. Darnall earned his undergraduate degree in sports management in 2009 and his master’s degree in sports management from Illinois State in 2011.
http://www.chicowildcats.com/news/2017/7/6/darnall-newest-mens-basketball-assistant.aspx
