July 29, 2010

Davis Appointed Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Eastern University

ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – University of South Carolina Aiken Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Nate Davis has been appointed as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at NCAA Division III Eastern University.

Davis becomes former USC Aiken Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Promotions and current Eastern Director of Athletics Brad Fields’ first official hire. Davis will begin his duties with Eastern on Aug. 9, 2010.

“First off, I want to thank Coach Vince Alexander, Athletic Director Randy Warrick, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Services Deb Kladivko and Chancellor Hallman for allowing me to be a part of USC Aiken for the last five years,” said Davis. “I am extremely grateful to have been a part of not only the USC Aiken community, but the community in Aiken overall. The community here has truly embraced our program and for that and many other reasons it was a very tough decision to leave USC Aiken for Eastern.

“While it may be a little bittersweet, this is a great opportunity for myself professionally as well as for my family. There is a great deal of potential at Eastern and I am thankful that Brad has selected me to be the head women’s basketball coach. There are still some challenges ahead, but I am looking forward to building Eastern into a quality women’s basketball program over the coming years.”

Alexander also describes Davis’ appointment as head women’s basketball coach at Eastern as “bittersweet.”

“Not only am I losing the individual that has been my right-hand man for the last 11 years, I am also losing a close friend,” remarked Alexander. “My family and his family are extremely close and we will miss the Davis family tremendously. I am extremely proud of the opportunity that he has before him and I know that Nate will do a great job at Eastern.”

Fields notes that “I could not be more excited to have Nate Davis join our staff at Eastern University as the next head women’s basketball coach. It was just a matter of time before this outstanding coach got his chance to lead his own program and I feel truly blessed that we are able to give him that opportunity.

“I have known Nate for over five years, and the way that Vince and Nate turned the USC Aiken men’s basketball program around and built a perennial top 25 Division II powerhouse is amazing. But in addition to his obvious talent as a coach, I can also attest to Nate’s outstanding characteristics as a human being. As the parent of a young daughter, I can think of no one better my wife and I would rather our daughter play for than Nate, and to me, that’s the ultimate compliment.”

Fields continues to explain that “we are striving to develop an abundance of potential that exists at Eastern University, and doing so in a manner that is consistent with our mission. Throughout the search process it became clear that Nate Davis was the person to turn around our women’s basketball program and build what I truly feel will be a Division III powerhouse.

“I look forward to welcoming Nate and his wonderful family, Melissa, Simeon, Sydney, and Shayna, into the Eastern family.”

Davis has spent the last five years as an assistant men's basketball coach at USC Aiken under Alexander.

During his time at USC Aiken, Davis helped the USC Aiken men's basketball program become a national force. The USC Aiken men’s basketball program has won a school-record 72 games over the last three seasons. The 72 victories over the three-year span are the most in the Palmetto State among all levels of college basketball.

USC Aiken’s total cumulative win total of 72 over the last three years leaves them two games ahead of Benedict, which has won 70 contests over the last three years. Clemson is not far behind in third place with 69 wins. College of Charleston is fourth with 65 victories over the last three years.

The Pacers have not just won games over the last three years with the 2007-08 USC Aiken men’s basketball team winning the Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship and the 2008-09 Pacer men’s basketball team advancing farther than any other squad in program history to the NCAA Division II “Sweet Sixteen.” The 2009-10 USC Aiken men’s basketball team claimed the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship.

Prior to coming to USC Aiken, Davis served as an assistant coach under USC Aiken Head Coach Vince Alexander at Mansfield University for five seasons. Davis' duties on the Mansfield bench included tutoring the Mountaineer guards as well as assisting in camps, clinics, team fundraisers, and recruiting.

The PSAC does not crown a regular season champion, but the 2004-05 Mansfield squad finished with the best conference record in the 14-team league. The Mountaineers went 10-2 on their way to the Eastern Division Championship and then advanced to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament. The team finished with an overall record of 18-11.

All those accomplishments are even more impressive considering Mansfield was picked to finish fourth in the Eastern Division in the preseason coaches' poll.

The Mountaineers went 21-7 in 2003-04 and earned a second place finish in the PSAC Eastern Division. The team was ranked nationally during the season and with a final NCAA East Region ranking of number six, just missed earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to working with the Mountaineer basketball team, he served as a teacher at Wellsboro High School.

An outstanding athlete in high school and college, Davis was a member of the Mansfield football team, where he was a two-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division selection at fullback.

He enjoyed a stellar career at Wellsboro High School as a three-sport All-Conference athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball.

Following his time at Wellsboro, Davis enlisted in the United States Marines, where he served on an anti-terrorist team, before enrolling at Mansfield.

A 1999 graduate of Mansfield University with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration, Davis received his Master's of Science in Education from Mansfield in December of 2007.