Head coach Dan Hurley announces the addition of David Cox to the Rhode Island men’s basketball coaching staff. Cox, who spent the previous four seasons on the staff at Rutgers, will serve as the Rams’ newest assistant coach.
"David has a wealth of experience and success working with programs at the highest levels," Hurley said. "He is one of the most well-rounded, well-respected coaches in America. David’s proven abilities to recruit and to teach the game will be an asset to our program."
While at Rutgers, Cox was the Scarlet Knights’ associate head coach, helping the program recruit the 15th-best class in 2011. He served as the interim head coach for a three-game stint in December 2012, guiding RU to a 3-0 record.
From 2007-10, Cox served as an assistant at Georgetown, helping to guide the Hoyas to a trio of post-season appearances. In 2007-08, Georgetown compiled a 28-6 overall record en route to winning the Big East Championship and earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 2009-10 Hoya squad also won 28 games and en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Cox entered the college ranks as the director of basketball operations at Pittsburgh for the 2006-07 season and was part of the Panthers’ staff that went 29-8 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Landover, Md., Cox first coached at the high school level at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C. from 1996-99. He spent the next seven years as an assistant principal at his alma mater, St. John’s Prep in Washington, D.C. from 1999-2006, where he oversaw the school’s athletic department, supervised all extra-curricular activities, and served as the school’s head of discipline.
Cox began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Washington D.C. Assault AAU program. He helped guide the team to the under-16 national championship in 2004. Several of his players earned college scholarships, including Tre Kelley (South Carolina), Chris McCray (Maryland), Michael Beasley (Kansas State/Miami Heat), Nolan Smith (Duke), Dante Cunningham (Villanova/Portland Trail Blazers), Arinze Onuaku (Syracuse) and Adrian Bowie (Maryland).
A 1995 graduate of William & Mary with a degree in sociology, Cox was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at point guard for the Tribe for head coaches Chuck Swenson and Charlie Woollum. He finished his collegiate career with 670 points, 216 rebounds, 336 assists and a .352 3-point field goal percentage and his name is located throughout the Tribe’s record book. Cox still ranks among school leaders in several statistical categories, including 3-point field goals made (sixth, 137), total assists (eighth, 336); and 3-point field goal percentage (ninth, .352). His career-high 12 assists against George Mason in 1995 still ranks third among all-time single-game performances in W&M basketball history.
In 1996, Cox earned his master’s degree in education from William & Mary. He and his wife Tasha have two children – Leila and Jacob.
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