June 7, 2011

David Boyden selected as  men’s basketball assistant coach

Steve Payne has rounded out his men's basketball coaching staff with the addition of David Boyden as assistant coach. Boyden comes to Tech from Western Kentucky where he helped coach the Hilltoppers to an NCAA appearance and a Sun Belt Conference championship.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – First-year Tennessee Tech men's basketball head coach Steve Payne has rounded out his coaching staff with the addition of David Boyden as an assistant coach. Boyden comes to Tech from his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, where he helped coach the Hilltoppers to an NCAA appearance and a Sun Belt Conference championship.

At Tech, Boyden will be involved in all facets of the program's day-to-day operations as well as working primarily on the development of Golden Eagle post players.

"David comes to us with a lot of success both on the floor and with recruiting," Payne said. "Having coached teams at both Western and Eastern Kentucky to the NCAA tournament, as well as making three appearances as a player, he gives us the kind of background that our program needs as we look to build on the success we had last season."

A former Sun Belt All-Conference performer for the Hilltoppers, Boyden returned to WKU with first-year head coach Ken McDonald - who was an assistant at WKU during Boyden's playing career - in 2008. Boyden's return to the Hill as part of the new staff helped result in a 25-win season, the Sun Belt Conference East Division and Tournament Championships, and a trip to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

His career with Tech will not be Boyden's first venture into the OVC, however, as he returned to WKU as a coach after serving as an assistant coach at OVC rival school, Eastern Kentucky, from 2005-08 under head coach Jeff Neubauer.

At EKU, Boyden helped the Colonels advance to the 2007 NCAA Tournament after claiming the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship. In his three seasons at Eastern, the Colonels finished with a .500 or better record in league play including a 13-7 mark in the OVC in 2006-07, going 21-12 overall and earning a berth in the conference tournament.

Prior to his time spent at Eastern Kentucky and following his graduation from from WKU in 2003, Boyden joined former Hilltopper head coach Dennis Felton on the staff at Georgia. He was an administrative assistant during the 2003-04 season before ascending to director of basketball operations in 2004-05.

"Boyden was an intelligent, tough, hard-working player, and we expect him to be that same type of coach," Payne continued.

"He's worked and played under some very respectable coaches in Dennis Felton and Pete Herman who coached David Robinson at the Naval Academy, and brings a lot of experience and talents as a coach and recruiter that our program needs."

As a player, Boyden lettered at WKU from 2000-03, helping the Toppers win 24 or more games each of his final three seasons as they claimed three straight Sun Belt Conference East Division and Tournament Championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for a school record tying three straight years.

He started 123 of 125 contests played in, ranking second all-time in Hilltopper history in career starts. Logging 3,283 minutes of action, Boyden is sixth all-time at WKU. In four years, the Richmond, Va. native scored 1,167 points, which stands 27th on the career WKU list.

Boyden was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First-Team as a junior after averaging 11.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg, and was a Second-Team All-Conference selection his senior season after posting averages of 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Boyden was also chosen to the 2003 Sun Belt All-Tournament team after helping lead WKU to its third-straight title.

"It's an honor to be a part of the TTU family," Boyden said. "I'm excited to be working with a high caliber coach in Coach Payne, I like to be on the forefront of great things and am looking forward to being a part of his first staff.

"This is a chance for me to be surrounded by great people who have big hearts, and are very family oriented," Boyden continued. "This university and community cares about basketball, winning and, more importantly, the integrity of our guys. I'm hoping to be an asset to the great staff that's already in place, and looking forward to the opportunity to win some regular-season and post-season OVC titles."

A native of Richmond, VA., Boyden currently resides in Cookeville. He joins a staff that also includes assistant coaches Russ Willemsen and DeAntoine Beasley, and program manager Scott Taylor.