Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
David Anwar brings a tireless work eithic and a veteran resume of 13 collegiate coaching years to the North Texas basketball staff.
North Texas[apos] recruiting specialist since 2012, Anwar spent the previous six seasons with Nebraska, including five years as an assistant coach and one season as the director of basketball operations in 2010-11.
The move to Denton reunited Benford and Anwar, who spent the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons together at Nebraska as assistant coaches under Doc Sadler.
[quote]Every coach that we have brought on board here at North Texas is a person that I fully trust, and has great loyalty,[quote] Benford said. [quote]David Anwar fits that bill perfectly. He has always shared great relationships with his players, has done a great job on the floor and has recruited Texas very well. We are very fortunate to have coach Anwar.[quote]
Anwar worked with the wings and post players for most of his time at Nebraska, helping the Huskers to the postseason in three of the last five seasons. He played a major role in NU ranking among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
The Huskers also showed the ability to score from long distance in 2009-10, as Eshaunte Jones (40-of-92, 43.5 percent), Ryan Anderson (54-of-126, 42.9 percent) and Brandon Ubel (11-of-21, 53.4 percent) helped Nebraska set a school record and rank 15th nationally in 3-point percentage (39.7 percent).
[quote]I[apos]m very excited to be working with coach Benford again,[quote] Anwar said. [quote]He[apos]s one of the nation[apos]s top up-and-coming coaches, and a first-rate recruiter and coach. Most importantly, I look forward to working with a close friend.[quote]
Working primarily with the Nebraska guards in his first year, Anwar[apos]s guidance helped the Huskers power to the second-highest 3-point total in school history with 244 treys in 2006-07.
Off the court, Anwar was instrumental in recruiting, helping Nebraska reel in arguably its top-rated class in the Big 12 era. The Huskers[apos] eight-man recruiting class for 2007 was ranked among the top 25 in the nation by at least three major scouting services, including ESPN.com[apos]s Bob Gibbons (21st), CSTV.com[apos]s Van Coleman (12th) and HoopScoopOnline.com[apos]s Clark Francis (5th).
Prior to Nebraska, Anwar served two seasons under Sadler at UTEP as the Miners[apos] director of operations. He was responsible for the program[apos]s budget, scheduling and practice management. Anwar also oversaw the administrative staff and assisted with special projects, camps and on-campus recruiting while helping Sadler and the Miners reach the 2005 NCAA Tournament and 2006 NIT.
Before joining the UTEP program, Anwar served as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith for four seasons, including the final three under Sadler. Anwar had on-court and practice responsibilities and also served as the recruiting coordinator. Arkansas-Fort Smith earned a 101-29 record with Anwar on the bench, including a pair of top-seven national finishes in 2001 (fifth) and 2002 (seventh). The team won the Bi-State Conference East league title each of his three seasons under Sadler and produced numerous all-conference players on the court and in the classroom.
Anwar has helped several programs earn a successful record of academic success, including helping more than 20 players move on to four-year schools from Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Earlier in his career, Anwar helped more than 40 high school and prep players earn a spot on Division I or II rosters while serving as a coach in his native Philadelphia and in Massachusetts.
A native of Philadelphia, Anwar earned a bachelor[apos]s degree in special education and sociology from Fitchburg State in 1998 and added a master[apos]s degree in sports management/sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth in 2004.
