The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
04.09.2015 | Men's Basketball
Former VCU assistant coach joins Shaka Smart’s staff in Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas — A former assistant on Shaka Smart's staff at Virginia Commonwealth University who has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, David Cason (pronunciation: KAY-sahn) has been named assistant coach at The University of Texas, Smart announced Thursday. The 42-year-old Cason begins his appointment immediately.
"David did a terrific job for us this past year at VCU," Smart said. "He's been a part of some very successful coaching staffs and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program."
Cason served as an assistant coach at VCU during the 2014-15 season. The Rams posted a 26-10 overall record, including a 12-6 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference and a No. 25 ranking in the final AP poll. VCU captured the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round before falling to Ohio State (75-72) in overtime. This marked the program's first A10 title and ninth overall conference title for VCU. The Rams became the first team since Xavier in 2006 to win four games in four days at the A10 Tournament.
VCU finished the year at No. 15 in the NCAA RPI with the nation's toughest non-conference schedule and the eighth-toughest overall schedule. The Rams posted 14 wins against the NCAA RPI Top 100, with nine of those victories coming away from home. VCU ranked third nationally (+5.4) in turnover margin and fourth in steals per game (9.5 spg).
Cason worked for three years (2011-14) as an assistant at Vanderbilt under Kevin Stallings and helped the Commodores post a 56-43 (.566) record. Vanderbilt registered a 25-11 mark in 2011-12, won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament championship for the first time in 60 years (1952) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Third Round.
He helped develop a pair of 2012 All-SEC First Team selections in Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins. Taylor, who finished his career as the school's second all-time leading scorer (1,897 points), was selected as the No. 31 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Charlotte and is completing his third season in the league, all with the Hornets. As a junior in 2011-12, Jenkins led the SEC in scoring (19.9 ppg) and topped the nation in three-pointers made per game (3.9) while earning third-team All-America honors by The Associated Press. He was selected as the No. 23 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Atlanta and is completing his third season in the league, all with the Hawks.
Cason spent six seasons at the University of Tulsa on head coach Doug Wojcik's staff, including the last three in the role of associate head coach. The Golden Hurricane posted a 123-78 (.612) overall record in his six years, including four straight 20-win seasons (2007-10), made two Postseason NIT appearances (2009 and 2010) and won the 2008 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship. He helped recruit and coached Jordan Clarkson for one season (2010-11) at Tulsa, where Clarkson earned Conference USA All-Freshman team honors. Clarkson was selected as the No. 46 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards (traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night) and is completing his first season in the league with the Lakers.
Prior to his time at Tulsa, Cason served as an assistant coach for two seasons (2003-05) at TCU. The Horned Frogs registered a 21-14 mark and advanced to the Postseason NIT quarterfinals in 2004-05.
He spent three years (2000-03) as the director of basketball operations at the University of North Carolina under head coach Matt Doherty. In his first season (2000-01), the Tar Heels won 26 games and earned a No. 1 national ranking late in the regular season. UNC won a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular-season championship with a 13-3 league record, advanced to the ACC Tournament final and claimed the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament South Regional.
Cason served as director of basketball operations at Notre Dame for one season (1999-2000) under Doherty. The Irish posted a 22-15 record and advanced to the Postseason NIT championship game. He also worked for three seasons (1996-99) as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University under Rick Samuels.
He played his first two years (1991-93) of college basketball at the College of Southern Idaho (1991-93). Cason led the Scenic West Conference in assists during each of his two seasons and earned second-team all-region honors as a sophomore. He played his final two seasons at Illinois State (1993-95), when Stallings was the head coach for the Redbirds. Cason led the Missouri Valley Conference in assists in both years and remains the school's leader in career assists per game (6.0 apg). In his senior season (1994-95), he earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, claimed the Doug Collins Award as the team's Most Valuable Player and was named the top athlete at Illinois State. Cason also set the school single-game record for assists with 16.
He began his coaching career the following year (1995-96) as a student assistant coach under Stallings. Cason earned his bachelor's degree in recreation management from Illinois State in 1996.
A native of Baltimore, Md., Cason (born Aug. 12, 1972) and his wife, Tamara, have three children, daughters Da-Via (born Feb. 15, 1992) and Taylor (born July 14, 2002), and son, DJ (born Nov. 30, 2004).
| Birthdate | August 12, 1972 |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Baltimore, Md. |
| Education | Illinois State University; bachelor's degree in recreation management, 1996 |
| Wife | Tamara |
| Children | Daughters, Da-Via (born Feb. 15, 1992) and Taylor (born July 14, 2002); |
| Son, DJ (born Nov. 30, 2004) |
Cason's Year-by-Year Coaching Resume
| Year | School | Overall W-L | Conf W-L | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Illinois State# | 22-12 | 13-5 | NIT Quarterfinals |
| 1996-97 | Eastern Illinois | 12-15 | 9-9 | |
| 1997-98 | Eastern Illinois | 16-11 | 13-5 | |
| 1998-99 | Eastern Illinois | 13-16 | 8-10 | |
| 1999-2000 | Notre Dame* | 22-15 | 8-8 | NIT Runner-up |
| 2000-01 | North Carolina* | 26-7 | 13-3 | NCAA Second Round |
| 2001-02 | North Carolina* | 8-20 | 4-12 | |
| 2002-03 | North Carolina* | 19-16 | 6-10 | NIT Quarterfinals |
| 2003-04 | TCU | 12-17 | 7-9 | |
| 2004-05 | TCU | 21-14 | 8-8 | NIT Quarterfinals |
| 2005-06 | Tulsa | 11-17 | 6-8 | |
| 2006-07 | Tulsa | 20-11 | 9-7 | |
| 2007-08 | Tulsa | 25-14 | 8-8 | CBI Champions |
| 2008-09 | Tulsa | 25-11 | 12-4 | NIT Second Round |
| 2009-10 | Tulsa | 23-12 | 10-6 | NIT First Round |
| 2010-11 | Tulsa | 19-13 | 11-5 | |
| 2011-12 | Vanderbilt | 25-11 | 10-6 | NCAA Third Round |
| 2012-13 | Vanderbil | 16-17 | 8-10 | |
| 2013-14 | Vanderbilt | 15-15 | 7-11 | |
| 2014-15 | VCU | 26-10 | 12-6 | NCAA Second Round |
| Totals | 20 seasons | 376-274 (.578) | 182-150 (.548) | 3 NCAA, 6 NIT, 1 CBI |
#Cason served as student assistant coach at Illinois State (1995-96).
*Cason served as director of basketball operations at Notre Dame (1999-2000) and at North Carolina (2000-03).
