A former pro player and national shooting coach for Basketball Australia is joining the University of Hawaii basketball team as an assistant coach.
Brad Davidson, who was born and reared in Australia, spent the past three seasons as the University of South Dakota’s offensive coordinator.
Davidson said his full role at UH is “a little fluid,” but he is expected to run the offense, help with player development, and be active in recruiting and scouting. Davidson said his recruiting emphasis will be in Australia and New Zealand. The Rainbow Warriors have had several Australians on their rosters since 2015, when Eran Ganot was named head coach.
Ganot and Adam Caporn, a coach and former professional player in Australia, were on the same coaching staff at Saint Mary’s College in California. Caporn and Davidson worked together in Australia.
“I got to know Eran through a mutual friend, Adam Caporn,” Davidson said. “Eran would come out (to Australia) on recruiting visits. I got to know him really well through that relationship.”
Davidson was a 5-foot-11 point guard known for his outside shooting in the National Basketball League, Australia’s top professional division. In 13 seasons, he connected on 40.1% of his 3s.
“I wasn’t a great shooter when I started,” Davidson said. “I was a hard worker, I guess, and after a few years of being a professional and digging into it, I got better and better and ended up being a decent shooter.”
After retiring as a player, Davidson coached for three years in Australia’s Premier League. In 2014, he was named national shooting coach and talent identification manager for Basketball Australia, which is the umbrella organization for the country’s men’s and women’s national teams.
Davidson has developed drills aimed at improving players’ shooting, passing, ball-handling and decision-making. His preferred offensive style? “Anything that scores,” he mused.
He said he adapts to the head coach’s style, an approach he used at North Dakota for two years and then South Dakota. “Coach Ganot says he wants to to play a little faster,” Davidson said. “Hopefully, I can help him in that regard. … Whatever style works. It comes down to personnel, how to get the best whether you have a small lineup in or a big lineup, what works best for the players and gets the best out of them.”
Davidson and his wife have two sons. Davidson’s hobbies include golf (12 to 14 handicap), outdoor activities (he and his wife grew up in small towns near beaches), and running. “Running on the beach will be better than avoiding snow in South Dakota,” Davidson said.
Davidson’s hiring completes the ’Bows’ coaching staff. Earlier, Mike Thomas was hired as an assistant coach. Chris Gerlufsen had left to become the University of San Francisco’s associate head coach. Jabari Trotter returned to his alma mater as Dartmouth College’s assistant coach in charge of in-game defensive strategy, player development, community and alumni relations, and West Coast recruiting.