Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball head coach Darrin Horn announces the additions of David Harris and Simon McCormack as assistant coaches and Joey Kizel as video coordinator.
David Harris
Harris, a native of Cincinnati who played high school basketball for Wyoming, joins the Norse staff following a one-year stint as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy. Prior to his time with the Midshipmen, he spent three years on the staff at Texas, serving as special assistant, video coordinator. Originally hired in 2013 by Shaka Smart at VCU as a graduate assistant, Harris moved into the video coordinator roll for the Rams in 2014.
Prior to competing for Ashland University on the hardwood for three years and earning a degree in finance, Harris spent two years as a student manager under Billy Donovan at the University of Florida. He also has a master’s degree in sports leadership from VCU.
Head Coach Darrin Horn on Harris
“Getting David Harris on our staff was a high priority for me. He is a Cincinnati native that knows the area and has recruited it. David brings great energy, is tremendous with player development and gained invaluable experience as a recruiter at Navy. In addition, he shares our commitment at NKU to always put the well-being of our student-athletes first.”
Simon McCormack
McCormack comes to Northern Kentucky after serving as the Director of Program Development at Texas last season. In total, he spent three years in Austin, filling the role of graduate assistant from the 2015-16 campaign through 2016-17. Prior to coming back to the Longhorns last season, McCormack spent the 2017-18 season as the video coordinator at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.
A former Division I basketball player at American University in Washington, D.C., McCormack earned his business administration degree in marketing in 2012. McCormack spent the 2011 season as an intern with the NBA G League’s Maine Red Claws. Immediately following graduation, he spent three years as a sales analyst at GE Capital Real Estate.
Head Coach Darrin Horn on McCormack
“I worked with Simon for three years at Texas and knew early on what a tremendous coach he could be if given the opportunity. He was a very good player in a winning program at American University and knows what it takes for our players to be successful. He is bright, has tremendous work ethic and connects well with young people. I have no doubt he will do an outstanding job for Norse basketball.”
Joey Kizel
Kizel is also welcomed to NKU after serving as the graduate assistant at Texas for the last two years. As part of the Longhorns staff, Kizel assisted in various aspects of player development, game preparation, scouting, logistical operations and film breakdown.
Kizel holds a degree in economics from Middlebury College, where he was a three-time first team all-conference honoree and team captain. Following graduation, he played professionally in 2014 for Kiryat Ata in the Liga Leumit (Israeli National League). Kizel then spent two years working as an analyst for Real Capital Analytics before joining the staff at Texas, where he also earned a master’s degree in sport management.
Head Coach Darrin Horn on Kizel
“Joey Kizel has been by my side as a GA the last two years at Texas and was the obvious choice for me as our video coordinator. He is organized, a relentless worker and able to take on a variety of tasks and perform them well. We are fortunate to have someone of his ability in his position.”
Northern Kentucky Basketball Staff Update
