Vince Alexander begins his third season as head coach of the USC Aiken men’s basketball program.

In his first two season at the helm, USC Aiken posted a 15-44 overall record, including a 7-24 mark in Peach Belt play.
Despite two tough years in terms of wins and losses, a productive offseason on the recruiting trail and the program’s move into the brand-new Convocation Center has the excitement level high around Alexander’s program and the USCA community sees Alexander building the program into a winner in the future.

“Coach Alexander certainly has our men’s basketball program headed in the right direction. He is always positive and has proven to be an excellent floor coach,” USC Aiken Athletic Director Randy Warrick said. “I have found that Vince and his staff have many recruiting connections and I think our supporters will see a very competitive team on the floor in the near future”.

Those connections and the staff’s hard work paid off this past offseason. Alexander welcomes six highly-touted transfers into the program this season, including four from the Division I ranks.

While Alexander and his team went through a tough season in 2006-07 marred by injuries and roster shakeups, the coach did reach a miletone when the Pacers beat Allen 92-60 on December 2, 2006, for his 100th career victory.

Alexander joined the USC Aiken community in June of 2005 after serving as head coach for the previous six seasons at Mansfield University, an NCAA Division II institution in Mansfield, Pa.

He became the school’s seventh person to sit at the helm and third since moving to the NCAA Division II ranks in 1990-91.

The coach was hired after standing out in the hiring process to the USC Aiken administration.

“We interviewed an exceptional pool of candidates for this position; however, Vince stood out from the group as a stellar coach,” said USC Aiken Chancellor Dr. Tom Hallman at a reception to welcome Alexander to campus. “I spoke to several people, including [Mansfield’s] president, who had nothing but respect for Vince personally and professionally.”
In his time at Mansfield, Alexander led the Mountaineers to an 89-74 record, the 2005 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Championship, and four appearances in the PSAC Tournament. Over his last three seasons, Mansfield was 57-29.

The PSAC does not crown a regular season champion, but Alexander’s 2004-05 squad finished with the best conference record in the 14-team league. The Mountaineers went 10-2 on their way to the Eastern Division Championship. The team finished the season with an overall record of 18-11.

All those accomplishments are even more impressive considering Mansfield was picked to finish fourth in the Eastern Division.

Alexander took over the reigns of the Mansfield program in 1999, after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at the university. His first team finished 13-13 and his second squad (2000-01) appeared in the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 1997. Only eight of the 14 PSAC teams, four from each division, advance to the tournament.

After posting a 9-16 mark in 2001-02, the Mountaineers rolled off a pair of 18-win campaigns and a 20-win season.
In 2002-03, Mansfield went 18-11 and returned to the PSAC Tournament, making the first of three consecutive trips to the league championship tourney.

Alexander led the Mountaineers to a 21-7 record in 2003-04 and a second place finish in the PSAC Eastern Division. The team was ranked nationally during the season and with a final NCAA East Region ranking of number six, just missed earning a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The 2004-05 season saw a second 18-win campaign and for the third time in Alexander’s six seasons as head coach, Mansfield led the PSAC in scoring. The Mountaineers average of 84.7 points per game also ranked 12th in Division II.
At Mansfield, Alexander produced 10 All-Conference players, six First-Team selections and four Second-Team choices, and the 2003 PSAC Eastern Rookie of the Year.

Before arriving at Mansfield as an assistant, Alexander was the head basketball coach at William Penn High School in York, Pa., as well as Dean of Students for the York City School District.

During his two-year tenure as head basketball coach, he guided William Penn to an overall record of 40-15, including a 25-5 mark during the 1996-97 season. His 1995-96 team was the YAIAA co-champion and the York County runner-up. The 1996-97 squad won both the YAIAA and York County titles, and Alexander earned York County Coach of the Year honors.

Prior to his stint at William Penn, Alexander was a physical education instructor and head basketball coach at U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City, Okla., from 1992-94 where his teams posted a 29-10 mark. Alexander’s 1994-95 team advanced to the Oklahoma Regional Finals, and he was selected the 1993 Coach of the Year in the Oklahoma City League.

Alexander earned his Associate of Arts Degree in physical education from Blinn College (Texas) in 1987.

At Blinn, he was All-Conference and an All-Region selection. He then attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science in physical education and recreation in 1989. He served as the team captain for two seasons.

Alexander is a graduate of James Madison High School in Houston, Texas. He and his wife, Anita, a teacher at Aiken Middle School, have one son, Benjamin.

 

Nate Davis begins his third season as assistant men’s basketball coach at USC Aiken. Davis served as an assistant coach under USCA Head Coach Vince Alexander at Mansfield University for five seasons prior to coming to USC Aiken.

“I’m really excited about what we can do here with the basketball team,” Davis said. “I’ve been with Coach Alexander for eight years and I know what we can do as a staff.”

Davis has served as Alexander’s top assistant the past two seasons as the Pacers have compiled a 15-44 overall record, including a 7-29 PBC mark.

The assistant coach’s duties on Alexander’s staff include recruiting coordination, opponent’s scouting, overseeing academic programs, as well as on-court coaching.

With the program moving into the brand-new Convocation Center, the coaching staff put an increased emphasis on increasing the talent level. Davis’ tireless work in recruiting helped the program land six highly-touted transfers this season, four from the Division I ranks.

Davis’ duties on the Mansfield bench included tutoring the Mountaineer guards as well as assisting in camps, clinics, team fundraisers, and recruiting.

“Nate isn’t just an outstanding coach, he’s also an outstanding person and because he is so genuine, he is a great recruiter,” said Alexander of his assistant coach.

“He has a passion and desire to see young people achieve success both in the classroom and on the court.”
A 1999 graduate from Mansfield University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration, Davis will soon receive his Master’s of Science in Education from his alma mater.

In addition to working with the Mountaineer basketball team, he served as teacher at Wellsboro High School for the past two years.

An outstanding athlete in high school and college, Davis was a member of the Mansfield football team, where he was a two-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division selection at fullback.

He enjoyed a stellar career at Wellsboro High School as a three-sport All-Conference athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball.

Following his time at Wellsboro, Davis enlisted in the United States Marines, where he served on an anti-terrorist team, before enrolling at Mansfield.

Davis assisted in leading the Mountaineers to the 2005 PSAC Eastern Division Championship and four appearances in the PSAC Tournament. Over the past three seasons Mansfield posted a 57-29 record.

The PSAC does not crown a regular season champion, but the 2004-05 Mansfield squad finished with the best conference record in the 14-team league. The Mountaineers went 10-2 on their way to the Eastern Division Championship and then advanced to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament. The team finished with an overall record of 18-11.

All those accomplishments are even more impressive considering Mansfield was picked to finish fourth in the Eastern Division in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The Mountaineers went 21-7 in 2003-04 and earned a second place finish in the PSAC Eastern Division. The team was ranked nationally during the season and with a final NCAA East Region ranking of number six, just missed earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“Nate is committed to doing what it takes to bring this program to the next level,” Alexander said. “He works hard in every aspect of the program, including on-court teaching, academics, and the behind the scenes work that is needed.”
Alexander also speaks very highly of his top assistant when it comes to his role on campus and in the Aiken community.

“Nate is an extremely loyal man, not only to myself and the program, but also to the USC Aiken campus and the Aiken community. That speaks to the kind of person Nate is.”

Davis and his wife Melissa have one son, Simeon, and two daughters, Sydney and Shayna.