University of North Dakota head men’s basketball coach Brian Jones built some lasting relationships while playing professionally in Australia nearly two decades ago and as he embarks on his 11th-season with the Fighting Hawks’ program, one of those is paying off in the form of his newest assistant coach.
Jones announced on Wednesday that Australia’s National Team Shooting Coach Brad Davidson has joined his staff for the 2016-17 season and will jump right into full-team practices as UND continues preparations for the upcoming season.
“I am excited about the addition of Brad and his family to our program, department and community,” Jones said. “I have known Brad for more than 20 years and he will be a tremendous asset to our staff and players. He has always earned his way in everything he has accomplished as a player and to now as a coach.
“The experiences he has gained from his professional playing days to his role with Basketball Australia will impact our program in a variety of ways. I am very grateful that Brad has decided to join our staff and the talented group of teachers, mentors and ambassadors they are for the game of basketball and this university.”
Davidson arrives in the United States after building a basketball resume that includes a 13-year playing career in the highest-division of Australian professional basketball. He played for five teams during his National Basketball League career that spanned from 1997-2009. Davidson drained more than 600 career 3-pointers and his 40.1 career clip from beyond the arc is one of the NBL’s all-time best percentages.
“A lot of the athletes that I have coached in Australia have come over to the United States to play college basketball and improve their games. I want to do the same thing with coaching and take on that challenge,” Davidson said. ”Obviously, I’m here because of my past relationship with Coach Jones. I know how much he cares about this program and I’ve been watching him from afar. My family and I are excited to be here in Grand Forks and I look to do my best to help this program continue its success.”
Following his playing days, Davidson embarked on a coaching career, which has included stints as the head coach of the West Adelaide Bearcats (2009) and Norwood Flames (2011-13) of Australia’s Premier League. He also guided the South Australian Metro team to the bronze medal at the Under-20 National Tournament in 2013 and worked as the Athlete Recruitment Manager for Australian College of Basketball in 2013.
In January of 2014, Davidson was hired as the National Shooting Coach and Talent Identification Manager for Basketball Australia’s High Performance program. In his nearly three years with BA, Davidson provided coaching for the men’s and women’s national teams and instituted a national shooting testing program for those squads to follow. He also served as the head coach of the Canberra Gunners of the South East Australia Basketball League.
Australia’s Men’s National Team, also referred to as the Boomers, made it to the Olympic semifinals in Rio this past summer. Davidson played for the Boomers from 2005-06 and helped lead the Australians to the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
