|
After taking Randolph College from a new program to an ODAC title contender, Clay Nunley will take over Roanoke's program next season. |
Roanoke athletic director Scott Allison announced Thursday that Clay Nunley has been hired as the school's 10th head men's basketball coach. No stranger to the ODAC, Nunley comes to Salem after nine seasons at the helm of the men's basketball program at Randolph, where he has guided the WildCats since the program's inception in 2007.
Nunley becomes just the fifth head coach of the Roanoke program since 1967 and follows the likes of RC Hall of Famers Charlie Moir (1967-73), Ed Green (1977-89) and Page Moir (1989-2016), the all-time winningest coach who stepped down in March after 428 victories.
"My family and I are extremely excited and humbled to join the Roanoke College community and become part of the Maroons basketball program, which has such a rich tradition of success," Nunley said. "I have always had great respect and appreciation for the strong academic reputation and caring community that are at the heart of Roanoke College."
"Coach Page Moir had a remarkable run of accomplishments, including over 400 wins and a 100 percent graduation rate, and I'm honored to follow in his footsteps," said Nunley. "I'm eager to begin working with our administrators, athletic staff, alums and supporters—and most importantly our student-athletes—to build on the impressive history of Roanoke College Men's Basketball, invest in and develop high-character young men, and create a program of excellence of which our community can be proud, on and off the court."
In less than a decade, Nunley led Randolph to the NCAA Tournament and to three appearances in the ODAC Championship game, including this past season as the WildCats advanced to the title game as the sixth-seed. Nunley's squads have posted winning records in five of the last six seasons as well.
In 2012-13, Nunley guided the WildCats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, earning an at-large bid. Randolph set a program record with 21 wins on the season, and also set the bar for most conference wins by a basketball team at the College with 11. That same season, Colton Hunt was named D3hoops.com first team All-American and earned the prestigious Jostens Trophy.
In 2010-11, Randolph earned a spot in the ODAC title game. Nunley led the WildCats to an 18-10 overall mark, earning ODAC Coach of the Year accolades.
"As with all searches, simply put, our challenge was to find the best person out there that would enroll the best student-athletes who fit Roanoke College's profile, and then organize them to take advantage of their special talents," said Allison. "Clay's leadership and accomplishments at Randolph College are evidence of his ability to do just that. His experience with and knowledge of Roanoke College, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, and Division III Basketball have prepared him uniquely to lead our program. We couldn't be more excited to have Clay Nunley join our staff."
Nunley's coaching background includes stints at the United States Military Academy and Wright State University. Prior to arriving at Randolph, Nunley served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the U.S. Military Academy for five years, where he was also involved in on-court instruction, scouting and practice planning.
During his four years at Wright State, Nunley was a part of back-to-back 18- and 17-win seasons. Highlights included a victory over No. 7-ranked and eventual national champion Michigan State during the 1999-2000 season, and a road win over previously unbeaten and 18th-ranked Butler in 2002.
Nunley graduated from Goucher with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a four-year letter-winner at Goucher when the Gophers captured two Capital Athletic Conference championships and made two trips to the NCAA Tournament. The 1996-97 team set the school record for victories in a season.
Nunley inherits a Roanoke team that last season went 19-6 overall, 11-5 in ODAC play and was ranked both nationally and regionally.