Duane Simpkins (born April 9, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who serves as the head coach of the American Eagles men's basketball team.[1]
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | American |
| Conference | Patriot League |
| Record | 16–16 (.500) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 9, 1974 |
| Playing career | |
| 1992–1996 | Maryland |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1999–2000 | Bishop O'Connell HS (assistant) |
| 2005–2007 | Sidwell Friends School |
| 2007–2011 | St. Albans School |
| 2012–2015 | UNC Greensboro (assistant) |
| 2015–2023 | George Mason (assistant) |
| 2023–present | American |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2011–2012 | Towson (coordinator of basketball operations) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 16–16 (.500) |
Playing career edit
Simpkins played high school basketball at DeMatha Catholic High School under Hall of Fame head coach Morgan Wootten and was a McDonald's High School All-American selection in 1992.[1] He played his college basketball at Maryland under Gary Williams where he was a three-year starter and part of a trio of NCAA tournament appearances with the Terrapins.[2]
Simpkins embarked on a professional career from 1997 to 2003, playing the USBL and ABA, as well as in various teams abroad including Olimpia Milano in Italy during the 2002–2003 season and Shandong in China in 2003.[1][3]
Coaching career edit
In between his playing career, Simpkins served as an assistant coach at Bishop O'Connell High School from 1999 to 2000. After his playing career, Simpkins was hired as the head boys' basketball coach at Sidwell Friends School in 2005, and served there before becoming the head coach of the boys basketball team at St. Albans School in 2007.
His first coaching opportunity in the college ranks came with Towson, where he was hired as the coordinator of basketball operations under Pat Skerry in 2011.[4] After a single season with the Tigers, Simpkins became an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro where he worked under Wes Miller from 2012 to 2015.[5] He'd return closer to the DMV area and join the staff at George Mason where he'd serve under both Dave Paulsen and Kim English from 2015 until 2023.[6]
On April 1, 2023, Simpkins was hired to be the next head coach for the American Eagles.[7][8][9][10][11]
Head coaching record edit
College edit
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Eagles (Patriot League) (2023–present) | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | American | 16–16 | 10–8 | T–2nd | |||||
| American: | 16–16 (.500) | 10–8 (.556) | |||||||
| Total: | 16–16 (.500) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References edit
- ^ a b c "Duane Simpkins - Head Coach - Staff Directory". American University.
- ^ "Duane Simpkins College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ^ "Duane Simpkins International Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Duane Simpkins Joins Tigers' Basketball Staff". Towson University Athletics.
- ^ "Duane Simpkins - Assistant Coach (Recruiting Coordinator) - Men's Basketball Coaches". UNC Greensboro.
- ^ "Duane Simpkins - Men's Basketball Coach". George Mason University Athletics. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Duane Simpkins Selected as 18th Head Coach of American University Men's Basketball" (Press release). American Eagles. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "American U hires Duane Simpkins as basketball coach". AP News. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Hill, Glynn. "Duane Simpkins named men's basketball coach at American University". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (April 2023). "American names George Mason asst. Duane Simpkins as new coach". ESPN. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "American U hires Duane Simpkins as basketball coach". The Valdosta Daliy Times. Retrieved 2 April 2023.