Emory & Henry College has hired David Willson as Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Director of Athletics Myra Sims announced Wednesday afternoon at a press conference. Willson becomes the fifth coach to lead the Wasps during the Old Dominion Athletic Conference era (since 1976-77).
"I am thrilled to join this wonderful community and look forward to getting to know so many wonderful people associated with our campus and program," commented Willson. "This is a place moving in an exciting direction with a new president and a committed faculty and staff."
"David Willson brings the right mix of enthusiasm and experience for rebuilding the men’s basketball program at Emory & Henry," said Sims. "With a pool of 180 candidates for the position, there was a lengthy selection process for the search committee to narrow down the group of three outstanding finalists. He has garnered wide respect in the coaching ranks and I am proud to have a bright star like David join our staff."
A 2004 graduate of and three-year letterwinner at ODAC-rival Hampden-Sydney College, Willson comes to E&H after serving the past four seasons as an Assistant Coach at Furman University of the Southern Conference. While at the Greenville, S.C. school, Willson helped lead the Paladins to the program’s best two-season win total in over 30 years and their first postseason tournament in 10 years.
His day-to-day duties included assisting the head coach with game preparation while directing walk-throughs and pregame scouting reports. He was also responsible for scheduling, compliance with NCAA regulations and the academic progress of the team. Willson was selected by his peers as one of the Southern Conference’s top assistant coaches in 2011 according to a FoxSports.com survey.
"David has been a part of our league for several years, and I have always admired him for his professionalism and have great respect for what the staffs he was a part of did," commented Mike Young, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Wofford College and 1986 graduate of Emory & Henry. "David contacted me about the E&H job early in the process, and I immediately thought that you would be hard-pressed to find a better candidate for Emory & Henry. I am thrilled for him, Emory & Henry and the community. Emory & Henry basketball got a lot better today."
Prior to his time at Furman, Willson was the Assistant Coach at Elon University, also a SoCon member, from 2005-09. He contributed to the Phoenix’s Southern Conference divisional championship in 2006, the program’s only winning season since moving to NCAA Division I and an appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament championship in 2008. In addition to the on-court success, Willson worked extensively as a recruiter, with summer camps and with academic progress. He also oversaw team travel, scheduling, scouting and film exchange.
"During the process of learning more about David, I came to view him as someone with charisma who will be able to develop positive relationships with current and potential student-athletes. I also found him to be a great evaluator of talent, someone who will work tirelessly to develop an effective recruiting plan, well-versed in the tradition of Emory & Henry men’s basketball, and someone who really wants to be at this level and build a program," Sims added.
Willson got his start in college coaching during the 2004-05 season at the College of William & Mary under Tony Shaver, who he played for while an undergraduate at Hampden-Sydney. During his year with the Tribe, he was responsible for scouting, recruiting, player development and community engagement.
"I know David from coaching him and coaching with him and can say that he is a great person that will do what is right and that he also has great basketball knowledge," Shaver said. "After being a Division I assistant for nine years, he knows that he wants to be a Division III coach. David is a great fit as he knows the ODAC and E&H, and I have a feeling that he will be there for a long time. I am really excited for him."
As a player at H-SC from 2001-04, Willson went to three NCAA Tournaments, two ODAC Championships (2002, 2004) and the 2003 NCAA Division III Final Four with the Tigers. He earned an All-ODAC Honorable Mention selection as a senior in 2004 when he also served as team captain. Willson played for one season at Southern Methodist University before transferring to Hampden-Sydney. Growing up for several years in nearby Elizabethton, Tenn., Willson was a finalist in 1999 for Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball award after moving to Memphis and playing at the Memphis University School.
"His Northeast Tennessee roots and his familiarity with the ODAC will serve him well in recruiting the right type of student-athlete to E&H. I believe that he will be a solid member of the E&H community in every way as he is a strong family man who will develop relationships not only with current and potential student-athletes, but also with faculty, alumni, high school and AAU coaches, as well as the general community. He has a strong coaching pedigree and I am confident that we found the right coach to lead the program forward to a new era of success," Sims concluded.
Willson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hampden-Sydney, which he earned in 2004. He is married to the former Anne Benham, who played volleyball and lacrosse at Sweet Briar College. The couple has two children, Maggie (four) and Ellie (two).
"I am confident that our athletic department has a bright future with Myra Sims as Director of Athletics," continued Willson. "My effort will be to build a program that stands for excellence in all phases. We want to help our players become better men and we want to compete for championships in one of the best Division III leagues in America. This is no small task, but we will commit a meaningful process to achieve it."
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