| David McLaughlin | ||
 |
Title | Head Men's Basketball Coach |
| damclaughlin@stonehill.edu | ||
| Phone | 508-565-1385 | |
The architect of one of the most successful stretches in the long and storied history of Stonehill men's basketball returns for his fifth season at the helm of the Skyhawks.
David McLaughlin has guided Stonehill to 68 wins in his first four seasons at Stonehill, including back-to-back 20 win seasons and a school record 27 wins in the 2005-06 season and established the Skyhawks as a conference, regional and national power.
McLaughlin made an immediate impact upon being named as Stonehill's interim head coach in January 2004, as he guided the Skyhawks to their highest league win total in six years before being named as the College's 12th Head Men's Basketball Coach on a full-time basis in February 2004. After being picked to finish 14th of 15 teams in the league's pre-season 2004-2005 coaches' poll, McLaughlin produced Stonehill's first 20-win season in seven years. The Skyhawks finished third in the ultra-competitive Northeast-10, including sweeping the season series with NCAA Finalist Bryant.
McLaughlin's mastery was just in its early stages we would soon find out, as he took the entire College community on a ride that has never been on before during the 2005-06 season.
A 14-1 start saw a school-record 12 game winning streak, a national ranking as high as No. 10, a Northeast-10 regular season championship for the first time since 1997-98, a spot in the Northeast-10 Tournament championship game for the first time since 1989, and the ultimate prize - an NCAA Northeast Regional title and the program's first ever trip to the Elite Eight.
McLaughlin and his squad provided more magic upon arriving at the Mass Mutual Center for what seemed to be home court advantage, as thousands of Stonehill faithful made the 90-mile trip to see the Skyhawks post a 69-59 victory over Tarleton (Texas) State in the national quarterfinals before bowing to eventual NCAA Division II champion Winona State (Minn.) in the Final Four. The legacy of a 27-7 team that advanced to the NCAA national semifinals is one that was not lost on McLaughlin's peers, who voted him as both the 2005-2006 Northeast-10 Conference and National Association of Basketball Coaches Northeast Regional Coach of the Year.
McLaughlin came to Easton in 2000 as an assistant coach and held that position for three-and-a-half seasons, as he had helped coordinate all facets of the Skyhawk program, including recruiting, game and practice preparations and various internal and external duties.
He served as an assistant coach at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. for two seasons, where he coordinated all areas of recruiting for the Cardinals while assisting in scouting and implementing a highly successful strength and conditioning program.
Prior to his tenure at Wesleyan, David served as an assistant coach at Suffolk University in Boston, where he assisted with recruiting, game and practice preparation as well as strength and conditioning. He also served as the head coach of the Northeast entry of the 1999 Bay State Games, guiding that squad to an undefeated mark and a gold medal.
McLaughlin was a standout for legendary Head Coach Dick Whittemore during his playing days at Colby College as he shined for the White Mules in the highly competitive New England Small College Athletic Conference.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Colby in May 1997, and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Suffolk in 1999. In May 2000, David earned partial certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
A member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, David and his wife, Jenna, reside in Easton with their daughter, Sydney, who was born in July 2006.
