Radford head coach Mike Jones announced the additions of David Boyden and Donny Lind as assistant coaches on his men’s basketball coaching staff, Thursday afternoon.
Both veteran assistant coaches will handle recruiting, on-floor coaching and scouting for the Highlanders. Boyden will assist with post player development, while Lind will work with the perimeter players.
Boyden brings 10 years of Division I coaching experience, including six seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. Lind comes to the New River Valley after three years each at VCU and Mount St. Mary’s.
A two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and 1,000-point scorer for the Hilltoppers, Boyden was an assistant with the program for two stints (2008-10 and 2012-16), helping guide teams to five 20-win campaigns, two Sun Belt Conference championships and two NCAA Tournaments, including a first-round victory in 2009. With Boyden on the sidelines, Western Kentucky compiled a 124-78 overall record.
In between that success, he spent the 2011-12 season at Tennessee Tech, working primarily with the post players of a Golden Eagles’ squad that posted a 19-14 mark.
As a player, Boyden ranks third in WKU history with 123 career starts from 2000-03 while playing a key role for teams that won at least 24 games in each of his final three seasons and captured three consecutive Sun Belt East Division and conference tournament titles and NCAA Tournament berths. He earned All-Sun Belt honors as a junior, was a second-team selection as a senior and was named to the 2003 Sun Belt All-Tournament Team. The native of Richmond, Va., finished his career with 1,167 points, 650 rebounds and 130 assists.
After receiving his degree from the school, Boyden spent two years working with Jones on Dennis Felton’s staff at Georgia. He first served as an administrative assistant before taking over the role of director of basketball operations for the 2004-05 season. Boyden then garnered his first assistant coach position at Eastern Kentucky, helping the Colonels to the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference championship and NCAA Tournament during his three seasons.
“David is someone our players will gain a lot from because he has experienced many of the same things they are going through now,” Jones said. “He has also achieved a level of success, both as a player and as a coach, that we and our players want to achieve here.
“His work ethic and knowledge of the game will strengthen our staff and help our players reach new heights on and off the court. David’s ability to affect all aspects of our program will be a welcome addition and will allow him to impact us immediately. His experience at one of the great mid-major programs in the country will help us immensely.”
A 2009 inductee to the Hermitage High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Boyden played one year at Fork Union Military Academy before moving on to Western Kentucky.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be working at Radford University,” Boyden offered. “Coach Jones has a winning pedigree that I am excited to be a part of. He is a well-respected coach in our profession, and it is a privilege to be on his staff as we strive to continue to raise the bar for Radford men’s basketball.”
Lind is also reunited with Jones after the two worked together under Shaka Smart at VCU. He was a graduate manager during the Rams’ run to the 2011 Final Four before serving as the program’s video coordinator the following two seasons. In addition to his primary responsibilities of daily collection and analysis of all film and implementation of advanced analytics, Lind also assisted with post player development, recruiting and community service efforts.
Lind spent the last three years as an assistant at Mount St. Mary’s, helping guide the Mountaineers to the Northeast Conference title and NCAA Tournament in 2014. He served as the team’s recruiting coordinator and implemented his analytics program, while overseeing Mount’s full-court pressure defense last season and coordinating the team’s offense during his first two years. In 2013-14, the Mountaineers led the NEC in scoring offense, free-throw percentage and 3-pointers made.
“I had the opportunity to work with Donny on our staff at VCU and was impressed with his work ethic and intelligence,” Jones said. “His overall knowledge of the job and his relentless pursuit of excellence will be a benefit to our staff. He has spent the past several years recruiting in the region most important to us, and where we want to get a lot of work done.
“The quality and depth of his relationships will greatly enhance our efforts in that area. He will add quality to our staff with his diverse background of experiences. I am looking forward to working with him again, and seeing the impact he will have on our guys and our program.”
Lind, a native of New Knoxville, Ohio, graduated from Loyola (Md.), where he served as a student manager and video coordinator under current Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Radford and work for Coach Jones,” Lind expressed. “The relationship that we built during our time together at VCU, on top of the success that he has had during his time at Radford, made this move an easy decision. I’m excited to get to work with our players and help us move forward.”
