I’ve been tweeting / blogging about this one all morning. Here’s the official release from UNH on the hiring of Nathan Davis as their new head basketball coach:
University of New Hampshire Director of Athletics Dr. Allison Rich announced Friday that Nathan Davis has been hired as the new men’s basketball head coach. Davis, who will be introduced in a 1 p.m. press conference at the Service Credit Union Victory Club of UNH’s Wildcat Stadium, is the 21st head coach in the program’s 118-year history.
CLICK HERE to watch press conference.
In 14 years as a men’s basketball head coach, Davis has received five Coach of the Year awards while guiding two programs to a total of 270 wins, five conference tournament titles, and eight NCAA tournament appearances, including one Final Four.
“I am thrilled to welcome Nathan Davis to our Wildcat family,” Rich said. “Nathan’s ability to recruit talented student-athletes and lead programs to success are just a few of the qualities that make him the right person to energize UNH men’s basketball and take our program to new heights. In addition to being an experienced and proven head coach, Nathan has been a positive influence on the student-athletes he has encountered throughout his career. He genuinely cares about the young people he mentors and is invested in building strong relationships with alumni, staff, and members of our community to enhance the student-athlete experience.”
Davis comes to UNH from Bucknell University, where he was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and led the Bison to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances during his eight years as head coach from 2015-23. Under his tutelage, a Bison player was honored as Patriot League Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018.
Davis’ impact at Bucknell was immediate. The Bison captured Patriot League regular-season titles each of his first four seasons as head coach, and in 2017 and 2018 they went on to win the Patriot League tournament title to advance to the NCAA tournament.
Davis had previously spent five years (2003-08) as the top assistant coach at Bucknell and was instrumental to the team’s historic NCAA tournament victories in 2005 and 2006. In ’05, 14th-seeded Bucknell upset No. 3 Kansas in the first round to mark the first NCAA win in school and Patriot League history. One season later, the Bison achieved the first top-25 national ranking in program history, returned to the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed, and defeated Arkansas in the first round.
“My family and I are very excited to join the UNH campus and community,” Davis said. “Going through the process I was blown away by the vision Allison Rich and her team had for the future of the program. I am proud and humbled that I have been given the opportunity to lead this program, and I look forward to seeing UNH men’s basketball compete for championships on a yearly basis.”
In his very first season as Bucknell head coach in 2015-16, Davis guided the team to a 14-4 Patriot League record (17-14 overall) and was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented to the nation’s top first-year coach. His 17 wins were the most ever for a Bucknell first-year coach, and he led the team to its third National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance.
The following year, Davis repeated as Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading the Bison, 26-9 overall and 15-3 in the league, to yet another regular-season title en route to a tournament championship and his first NCAA tournament appearance as a head coach.
In 2017-18, Davis’ squad went 16-2 to successfully defend its regular season and tournament titles to earn a second straight berth into the NCAA tournament. That season, Bucknell recorded 25 wins and became the first team in league history to have three First Team All-PL selections.
In 2018-19, Davis guided the Bison to their third straight 20-win season (21 wins) and fifth straight Patriot League regular-season title.
Davis guided the Bison to 129 wins in eight years, including the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season (12 games played).
After departing Bucknell in 2008, Davis spent one year as an assistant coach at Colgate University before being named the head coach at his alma mater, Randolph-Macon. Davis achieved incredible success in his six seasons with the Yellow Jackets (2009-15). He posted a 141-39 record (.783 win percentage) with three Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships, six NCAA tournament berths, and a Division III Final Four appearance in 2009-10.
In his final season at Randolph-Macon, Davis’ squad was ranked No. 1 in the country for three weeks, went undefeated in league play, 28-3 overall, and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. The 28 victories tied the school record, and its 25-game winning streak set a new program mark.
Following the 2014-15 campaign, Davis was selected as the ODAC Coach of the Year and the NABC South Region Coach of the Year, and he was a finalist for the Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Award. It was his second straight ODAC Coach of the Year honor.
Prior to his stint as Bucknell assistant coach, Davis was an assistant coach at Navy from 1998-2003. Thanks in large part to his recruiting efforts, the Midshipmen made Patriot League championship game appearances in 2000 and 2001, and the team went 80-65 in his five seasons in Annapolis.
A 1997 graduate of Randolph-Macon, Davis was a four-year letterman and two-year captain of the Yellow Jackets’ men’s basketball team. He was a two-time All-ODAC selection who finished his career with 983 points, and he was one of only five players in school history to record at least 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 steals.
Davis and his wife Miki have four children: son Kieran, daughter Hayden, and twins Kellen and Ryan.
New Hampshire went 15-15 overall (9-7 America East) in 2023 and advanced to the conference semifinal.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT NATHAN DAVIS
“UNH just hit a home run! Nathan is a winner. His record and championships speak for itself but the UNH community has a leader who will show class and integrity in all he does. He will build something special and include the community in all the program does. Special day for UNH basketball.”
Mike Rhoades, Penn State men’s basketball head coach
“Nathan Davis is a star. He’s a program builder and has been an excellent coach and mentor to young people for many years. New Hampshire will welcome a wonderful family man that will become a fixture in the community and work tirelessly to make the UNH basketball program better each day.”
Mike Young, Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach
“UNH is getting a terrific basketball coach with a high IQ for the game, very connected recruiter and the community will love the Davises. Your student-athlete experience will be top shelf. Coach Davis has been successful at every level. You’ll have a whole lot of new fans in the mid-state area.”
Pat Flannery, retired Bucknell coach
“I’m happy for Nathan Davis & his family. He’s one of the hardest working, brightest coaches in the country and a phenomenal person! I’m lucky to call him one of my best friends in CBB, and I look forward to watching his program’s success!”
Jon Coffman, Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball head coach
