Men's Basketball Adds Three Assistant Coaches to Staff
Daytona Beach, Florida - Brock Morris, Daytona State College (DSC) Head Men's Basketball Coach announced the hiring of Chad Donley, Justin Mann, and Adeel Sahibzada to the roles of assistant coach.
"We are extremely excited to add these three great coaches to our inaugural staff." Said Coach Morris. "They each bring unique experiences to their respective positions and will be valuable to our process of developing young men. Each understands the importance of mentoring and guiding our student athletes through the avenue basketball provides." Morris Continued, "A staff who understands our culture and values, along with the skill set to teach and mentor these students on and off the court, is imperative to our long-term success. We look to continue the tradition set forth by many great coaches and players who came before us. I believe we have accomplished the most important first step of getting the right people in the organization. Our goal is to continue making positive national headlines in men's basketball for graduating student athletes, winning championships, and serving our community."
Coach Donley brings eight years of experience as a coach and student-athlete to Daytona State College. Donley started his playing career at Northwest Florida State with additional playing time at Liberty University and Morehead State University. Once his studies and playing career ended, Donley took up coaching and made stops at Pensacola State and East Tennessee State.
During the 2017-18 season, Donley was an assistant coach for the Pensacola State Pirates (PSC). PSC finished with a record of 17-12 and finished third in the Panhandle Conference. In addition, Donley assisted four students who earned All-Conference accolades.
Prior to his time in Pensacola, Donley was a Graduate Assistant at East Tennessee State under the tutelage of Steve Forbes. While in Johnson City, Donley helped the Bucs win 51 games in two years with back-to-back appearances in the SoCon Conference Tournament Championship game. He aided in the development of six All-Conference selections, one SoCon Player of the Year, and the SoCon Tournament MVP. In his final year, the Bucs won the SoCon Conference Tournament and earned a bid in the 2017 NCAA Tournament where they met the Florida Gators in the round of 64.
"Coach Donley brings a tremendous amount of success as a player and coach to our program," said Morris. "He was a fantastic player in our Region and has seen what a national title contender looks like at the Junior College level. Chad has also been to the NCAA Tournament twice, which speaks volumes to what he can add to our culture. His ability to relate to our players and create value for them is second to none. Coach Donley is a rising star and I am excited to have him as a part of our staff."
Donley began his college playing career at Northwest Florida State College (NWF) in Niceville, Florida. Redshirting his first year, Donley became a starter the next season on the Raiders squad who finished with a record of 32-2, won the Panhandle Conference Championship, Region XIII Championship, and were the NJCAA National Runner-Ups.
Upon graduating from NWF, Donley signed a D-I scholarship to Liberty University. He spent two seasons with the Flames. In his first year, the Flames captured the 2013 Big South Championship and earned a bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Donley graduated from Liberty with one year left of eligibility where he opted to transfer to Morehead State as a graduate transfer. During his time in Morehead State, the Eagles went 17-17 and advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Semi-Final game where they came up short to 25th ranked Murray State.
"I have admired Daytona State from afar since I was a player. The city, the people, and the program are first class. I am excited and humbled Coach Morris has given me this opportunity to be a part of a special place."
Originally, from Baker, Florida, Donley earned his Bachelors from Liberty University in Interdisciplinary Studies with cognates in business and communication. He earned his master's degree from East Tennessee State in Sport Management.
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Justin Mann starts his first season with the Falcons. Before arriving at Daytona State College, Coach Mann spent two seasons with the Thomas University Men's Basketball Program. During his tenure at Thomas, Mann was responsible for post player development, scouting coordinator, and recruiting coordinator. The Nighthawks made back-to-back Sun Conference Tournaments and advanced to the semi-finals in 2016-17. Mann helped Thomas produced two first team all-conference players and one second team all-conference player.
"Coach Mann brings a lot of qualities to our program which will help create tremendous value for our players", said Morris. "Justin has the ability to foster relationships across different platforms. He has experience in a lot of different areas that touch the lives of our student athletes. Coach Mann is known for his work with post players and we look forward to watching their development under his tutelage.
Prior to his time at Thomas, Mann spent two seasons with the Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) men's basketball program. In two seasons, the Lions posted a 41-11 overall record and went 27-9 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play. In the 2013-14 season, ENC finished second in the CCC regular season standings with a 13-5 league mark. The Lions had two first team all-conference players along with one second team all-conference player.
Mann served as an assistant coach at Urbana University during the 2011-12 season. Prior to his time with the Blue Knights, Mann also worked at Meridian Community College (2010-11) as an assistant coach and at Metamora High School (2009) as the boys' junior varsity head coach.
"I'm very excited to be here at Daytona State," commented Mann. "The Falcons have shown great growth, and I'm looking forward to being a part of this program. I look forward to having Coach Morris as a mentor and helping to continue to build this program and its winning tradition."
During his collegiate playing career, Mann was a member of the Lander University men's basketball program for two seasons. Mann spent one season at Kishwaukee College (IL) and one season at Northland Community and Technical College (MN).
The Peoria, Ill., native earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., in 2009 and completed his Masters of Business Administration from Thomas University in Thomasville, GA in 2017.
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Adeel Sahibzada is also entering his first season as an assistant coach for the Falcons. Coach Sahibzada previously was an Assistant Coach for Ryerson University men's basketball team from 2016-18 in Toronto, Canada. Sahibzada and the Ryerson Rams compiled a 39-15 record, having earned the top place in the Ontario University Athletics Championship in 2017. The team came second in the OUA Championship in 2018 as well as the 2017 and 2018 CIS Championships.
To grow and drive Canadian talent, he founded the Toronto Basketball Academy, DeenUP Athletics, and the Bigger Than Basketball preparatory teams. He led these efforts as Head Coach from 2012-18. He led the TBA, in particular, to a 30-16 record in the past two years.
Sahibzada has led Canadian teams internationally in FIBA tournaments such as U23 Tournoi Mondial Basket in Europe for several years, selecting from the best of young Canadian players. Sahibzada's international best has been a third-place finish, his team has earned a Bronze medal after a strong 6-2 finish in 2018. Sahibzada also joined the FIBA National Team Canada for competition in China. This U18 Squad faced Lithuania, USA, and the People's Republic of China at the Atlas FIBA international challenge.
"Coach Sahibzada separated himself during our assistant coaching search as someone who is hungry, passionate, and relentless", said Morris. "He will create value for our players in all areas of their lives socially, spiritually, academically, and athletically. I am excited to add someone of Adeel's character and experience to our Daytona State family. Coach Sahibzada's track record of player development and his recruiting contacts will help our program reach new heights.
Known for his player development, Sahibzada has worked with some of the top players in Canada. Currently, Sahibzada has four student-athletes playing in the NCAA and he has placed over twenty in the NJCAA, including one All-American, Ahmed Ali, who is now playing at Washington State University.
Sahibzada holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Guelph as well as a B.A. from the University of New Brunswick and the University of Waterloo. He played CIS basketball all throughout his university career.