UNH names former Bucknell University head coach as new men's basketball coach

DURHAM – University of New Hampshire Director of Athletics Allison Rich announced Friday Nathan Davis has been hired as the new men’s basketball head coach.

Davis, is the 21st head coach in the program’s 118-year history. He replaces Bill Herrion, who went 227-303 at UNH, and set records for most career victories as an America East (formerly North Atlantic Conference) head coach (394) and most wins by a UNH head coach.

"With (Rich's) leadership and the commitment they're making to basketball to be successful, it was the perfect time to step in and take the program to a new height," Davis said in Friday's introductory press conference. "It won't be easy, but I'm excited for the opportunity, and I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running."

Herrion didn't have his contract renewed last month after UNH went 15-15 overall (9-7 America East) this past year, advancing to the conference semifinal.

More: UNH men's basketball moving on from head coach Bill Herrion after 18 years

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.

“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.”

Bucknell went 12-20 this season, finishing with a 64-59 loss to American in the first round of the Patriot League tournament. Bucknell announced in early March Davis would not be back as coach after that loss.

“I am grateful for the positive mentorship that Nathan provided to our student-athletes, however, the last four seasons have not met the high standards of on-court success we expect from our men’s basketball team,” Bucknell athletic director Jermaine Truax said, the Associated Press reported.

Davis went 129-115 as Bucknell’s head coach. The Bison lost to fourth-seeded West Virginia 86-80 in the 2017 NCAA tournament and fell to third-seeded Michigan State 82-78 in the 2018 tourney.

The 48-year-old Davis previously was an assistant for five seasons at Bucknell. He also was the head coach at his alma mater, Randolph-Macon, and an assistant at Navy and Colgate.

“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. I look forward to seeing UNH men’s basketball compete for championships on a yearly basis.”

Rich on what stood out the most from Davis' resume, "he wins, that's exciting," she said.

"We have never been to an NCAA tournament game, we've never been to a conference championship game and our team is ready and we're excited to do that," Rich said. "Having somebody who has done it before, who knows what it takes to get there and can bring us there (is great). Building the program, being supportive to our student-athletes in everything they do - talking about academics, talking about campus engagement and will be a true partner with our campus as well. All of that together just makes (Davis) a great package."

Along with competing on the court, Davis has plans to match that intensity off the court to get the best out of the players in their personal lives and careers.

"I want to see guys dedicated to reaching their full potential," Davis said. "If I want them to be better than they want to be, we're never going to get there. I want to see guys dedicated to reaching their full potential. They're going to come in and work hard, look out for each other, never let each other down, represent the university and program well, both on the floor and in the community, and have a wonderful experience."

Davis said the program is still working on adding to his staff.

"There's a process that we have to go through, but I'm looking forward to having a great group assembled soon," Davis said.

"We want to make sure we have all of the support needed for our students," Rich added.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: UNH men's basketball hires former Bucknell head coach Nathan Davis