| David McLaughlin | ||
| damclaughlin@stonehill.edu | |
| Telephone | (508) 565-1385 | |
The architect of one of the most successful stretches in the long and storied history of Stonehill men's basketball, Dave McLaughlin returns for his seventh season at the helm of the Skyhawks.
He has guided Stonehill to 107 wins in his first six seasons, including back-to-back 20 win seasons and a school record 27 wins in the 2005-06 campaign, while reestablishing the Skyhawks as a conference, regional and national power.
In 2008-09, Stonehill returned to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year hiatus, finishing with a 21-9 overall record and a fourth place finish in the Northeast-10 regular season standings. Along the way, McLaughlin led his charges to a win over Bentley, snapping the Falcons 42-game home court winning streak - the longest in Division II. After a 16-2 start, the Skyhawks reappeared in the national rankings rising to as hgh as No. 10 in the country. Under his tutelage, A.J. Rudowitz became the first Northeast-10 first-team honoree since 2005-06, while Matt Hall received third-team recognition.
In 2007-08, the Skyhawks won 18 contests and advanced to the Northeast-10 Tournament Semifinals, as McLaughlin orchestrated a road upset of fourth-seeded Pace in the quarterfinal round. Stonehill had four wins over teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and a near upset (76-72) of then No. 3 Grand Valley State at the Disney Classic in Orlando.
Stonehill went 16-12 and advanced to the Northeast-10 Tournament First Round in 2006-07, as McLaughlin's work on the recruiting trail produced A.J. Rudowitz, a Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team selection and second team All-Conference honoree in Nick Smith.
McLaughlin was named Stonehill's interim head coach in January 2004, and proceeded to guide 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.
In McLaughlin's first full season, the Skyhawks raced out to a 10-3 start and wrapped up his first season with a 20-8 overall record and a third place finish in the Northeast-10 - the same year they were picked 14th in the preseason coaches' poll. The 20 wins were the most in seven year's for Stonehill and included a season sweep of Bryant, a team that advanced to the NCAA Championship Game.
Everything came together in the 2005-06 season, which saw the Purple and White open up 14-1 and set a school-record with 12 straight wins. During the season, the Skyhawks reached a No. 10 national ranking, and claimed their first Northeast-10 regular season title since 1997-98.
The highs from that season continued as Stonehill made its first appearance in the Northeast-10 Tournament Championship game since 1989 and claimed a huge prize - A NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and a berth in the program's first ever NCAA Elite Eight. The Skyhawks earned a win over Tarleton (Texas) State before eventually falling to eventual National Champion, Winona State, in the national semifinals.
McLaughlin was honored as the Northeast Regional Coach of the Year by National Association of Basketball Coaches and his fellow coaches in the Northeast-10 - the same group that picked his team 14th in the preseason poll two seasons prior, selected him as the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year after leading Stonehill to a school-record 27 wins.
Each spring, for the past three seasons, McLaughlin is one of eight head coaches at the Collegiate Basketball Invitational. The CBI, was created to provide additional visibility for the top senior basketball players among the NCAA Division II, III and NAIA ranks.
He came to Easton in 2000 as an assistant coach and held that position for three-and-a-half seasons, helping oversee all facets of the Skyhawk program.
Prior to his arrival at Stonehill, 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 the implementation of a highly successful strength and conditioning program.
McLaughlin has also spent time on the coaching staff at Suffolk University in Boston, and 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 four-year letterwinner at Colby College under legendary head coach Dick Whittemore, in Waterville, Maine, an upper-echelon team in 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, McLaughlin earned partial certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the NSCA.
David and his wife, Jenna, a former NSCAA
All-American in soccer while at Colby, reside in Easton with their
daughter, Sydney, and son, Ryan.
