Longtime Texas A&M men’s basketball team staffer Vince Walden has been elevated to assistant coach, head coach Buzz Williams announced.
“Coach Walden’s title has been a misnomer with us from the beginning,” Williams said. “With the NCAA legislation changing this summer, his promotion to assistant fits more appropriately.
“Vince has been with us since we arrived in College Station and has been a phenomenal teammate from the start. He has had an unofficial role in many components of the program on and off the floor. He has earned this promotion, and we are excited for what the future holds as he changes seats on ‘Team Bus #1’!”
Walden adds off-campus recruiting to his bucket of responsibilities, while retaining a variety of day-to-day coaching and administrative duties, providing scouting reports on opponents and analyzing film and advanced metrics.
Walden has played a key role in the Aggies’ success since his arrival in Aggieland. Texas A&M has reached the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, while winning 20-plus games for the last three years. It was the first time that Texas A&M had reached the “Big Dance” in consecutive seasons and posted three-straight 20-win seasons in more than a decade. The Aggies’ 73 wins over the past three seasons ranked No. 25 among all DI schools and fourth in the SEC.He came to Aggieland after a short stint at Elon and two seasons as assistant coach at Arkansas State. While with the Red Wolves, he helped develop and coach All-Sun Belt guard Ty Cockfield.
Prior to his time with the Red Wolves, Walden had two stints with IMG Academy basketball program in Bradenton, Florida from 2006-12 and 2015-17 as the national team head coach.
Walden, a 2017 Naismith Trophy High School Boys Coach of the Year finalist, guided IMG Academy to a 26-2 record in 2016-17, as well as an appearance in the DICK’s Sporting Goods High School Nationals as the No. 2 seed. He helped the team to a No. 1 ranking in the Max Preps poll in 2016-17 and finished with a 53-12 record over his last two seasons with the Ascenders. Trevon Duval, a McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic invitee, shined for Walden during his last season at IMG Academy, becoming the first player in the program’s history to be invited to McDonald’s All-American game and third to play in the Jordan Brand Classic.
As head coach at IMG Academy, he oversaw four basketball teams and four coaches and was responsible for retention, player transitions and organizing future plans for graduating seniors. He was widely credited with building a culture that was centered on a positive and energetic atmosphere for players while teaching team and individual skills that developed character and leadership qualities, both on and off the court.
He spent three seasons from 2012-15 as an assistant coach at Liberty University. Walden was an integral part in Liberty’s 2013 Big South Tournament championship run. The Flames rallied to win four-straight games against three of the top seeds in the tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Walden trained and developed guard Davon Marshall, who was awarded the Big South Tournament MVP.
Prior to joining the Liberty staff, Walden had his first stint with IMG as the national team head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-12. He compiled a record of 146-56 record in that span and had a combined record of 201-68 in his time with the Ascenders.
Walden has coached or developed more than 50 professional players, including 2014 second round NBA Draft picks Dwight Powell and DeAndre Daniels.
Walden graduated with a degree in social work from Longwood in 2001, where he was a four-year letterwinner in basketball from 1994-98 and a three-year captain for the Lancers.
Walden At a Glance
Hometown: Suffolk, Va.
High School: Lakeland High
College: Longwood, 2001
Family: Wife – Lakeesha | Children – Vinson Jr., Zachary, Kari
COACHING HISTORY
2024-Present: Texas A&M, Assistant Coach
2023-24: Texas A&M, Director of Basketball Operations/On-Campus Coach
2019-24: Texas A&M, Director of Basketball Operations
2019: Elon University, Assistant Coach
2017-19: Arkansas State, Assistant Head Coach
2015-17: IMG Academy, National Team Head Coach
2012-15: Liberty, Assistant Coach
2006-12: IMG Academy, National Team Head Coach
