University of Denver Men’s Basketball head coach Jeff Wulbrun announced two additions to his coaching staff on Monday. Brian Eskildsen and Alex Mumphard will both be joining as assistant coaches immediately for the Pioneers for the upcoming season.
“It is with a great enthusiasm that I welcome Brian and Alex to our coaching staff at DU,” Wulbrun said of his two new additions. “We have added tremendous experience in all components of coaching with their addition to the staff. Brian coached in the ACC last year at Georgia Tech, and prior to that was a mainstay on Tommy Amaker’s staff at Harvard, where he coached in the NCAA tournament, won three Ivy League championships, and made two NIT appearances.
“They both have valuable experience recruiting successfully at prestigious academic institutions and achieving a high level of success on the court. They are relationship-driven people and are known for their high character and integrity in the coaching profession.”
A 15-year veteran in Division I, Eskildsen comes to DU after spending years at high-level academic institutions that enjoyed success on and off the court. He spent the past season at Georgia Tech under head coach Josh Pastner. Prior to that, he spent eight seasons at Harvard under head coach Tommy Amaker, helping the Crimson capture conference championships in 2015, 2018 and 2019. Harvard was in position to win another Ancient Eight title and a potential NCAA Tournament bid in 2020, compiling a 21-8 record and a runner-up finish in the Ivy regular season before COVID-19 abruptly ended that season.
“I’m honored and beyond thrilled to join the Denver Basketball program,” Eskildsen said. “As an institution, the University of Denver cares deeply about achieving excellence on and off the court, which fits in perfectly with my aspirations and my experience at like-minded schools. What Coach Wulbrun has accomplished in building the program over the last two years is incredibly impressive, and I look forward to helping us take the next steps toward winning a Summit League Championship.”
During his time in Cambridge, eight Harvard players earned All-Ivy League recognition, three of them more than once, and the Crimson scored power conference wins over Auburn, Brigham Young, California, Georgetown and Texas A&M. Harvard averaged nearly 18 wins per season (not counting the canceled 2020-21 season), winning 18-or-more games five times and winning 10-or-more Ivy games five times.
Eskildsen arrived in Cambridge after spending the 2013-14 season with the Rice Owls as an assistant coach to head coach Ben Braun. While at Rice, Eskildsen served as the team’s recruiting coordinator and was in charge of opponent scouting. Eskildsen worked directly with the Owls’ post players on the court and was also responsible for game scheduling.
“Alex was a driving force behind the improvement of the Cornell program over the last five years and coached in the NCAA tournament when Northwestern made their first NCAA appearance in school history in 2017,” Wulbrun said. Our players and program will benefit from his presence immensely and the impact will be felt immediately.”
Mumphard joins Denver after spending the past five seasons at Cornell. While with the Big Red, the 2022-23 team made its second straight conference tournament appearance and posted 17 wins – the most by a Big Red team in 13 years. Cornell opened the season 14-4 with a two-point loss at eventual ACC champion and Final Four participant Miami (Fla.).
“I’m extremely grateful to join Coach Wulbrun’s staff and serve the men’s basketball program here at the University of Denver,” Mumphard said. “The pursuit of excellence in both academics and athletics, in one of the best cities in the country, makes this university a very special place. I’m excited to work alongside a great group of coaches that are committed to developing and supporting the great student-athletes here at the University of Denver.”
The Big Red led the Ivy League in 11 categories this past season, including scoring offense (81.7), 3-pointers made (10.7) and attempted (30.4) per game, assists (17.5), assist:turnover ratio (1.41), steals (9.7), effective field goal percentage (.556) and fast break points (15.9). Greg Dolan earned second-team All-Ivy and NABC All-Region honors, while Nazir Williams was an honorable mention pick.
Before Cornell, Mumphard was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Greenville University for two seasons. Before that, he spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Northwestern under head coach Chris Collins. During his time in Evanston, Ill., the Wildcats made the program’s first NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round in 2017. He played a role in the development of All-Big Ten players Bryant McIntosh, the school’s career assist leader, and Scottie Lindsey. In addition to his work on the court, he coordinated opponent scouts and film breakdown and opponent exchange and was a liaison between the staff and players. In his first season, Northwestern posted its first winning conference season in 49 years and set a school record for wins in a season.
The Pioneers are currently training for the 2023-24 year.
Denver Basketball Staff Update
