North Dakota men’s basketball coach Brian Jones announced Friday that Craig Heatherly has been promoted to an assistant coaching role on his staff. Heatherly spent the previous three seasons as the Fighting Hawks’ director of basketball operations. UND captured the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles, culminating with the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament during Heatherly’s second season with the program in 2016.
“Craig is very deserving of this promotion,” Jones said. “We appreciate all that he did for us as our director of operations and he has earned the opportunity to take on this new role. He has a great basketball mind and the connections he has already built with our players will certainly be beneficial as he continues to develop them on the court.”
Heatherly played collegiate basketball at UMass-Lowell where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business adminstration before embarking on a five-year run as an assistant coach at Davenport University where his teams compiled a 177-39 record.
“I’m thrilled to be back in a coaching and recruiting position,” Heatherly said. “I’d like to thank Coach Jones for this opportunity, in addition to everyone that has played a role in my development as a coach and person. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my wife, Linaya, for all the support she has provided me since day one.”
Heatherly and the Fighting Hawks will join The Summit League for the 2018-19 season after spending the previous six seasons as a Big Sky member.
