The Tribune

By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN coach Nashad Mackey has secured another opportunity at the NCAA Division I level after being named an assistant coach with the Mercer University men’s basketball programme.

Mackey joins a coaching staff that includes associate head coach Woody Taylor, assistant coach Tysor Anderson, strength and conditioning coach Shawn Moran, and graduate assistants Jordan Harbeck and Reese Sauerbrun. The group will lead the Bears into the 2026-27 season.

The move comes after Mackey spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at USC Upstate.

During his time with the Spartans, he was involved in player development and mentoring several of the programme’s top performers.

USC Upstate finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 13-19 record and went 5-11 in Big South Conference play.

Before his stint at USC Upstate, Mackey built an impressive coaching résumé through stops at the University of Tennessee-Martin, Daytona State College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

At Tennessee-Martin, he helped the Skyhawks capture the programme’s first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. The team also recorded 14 conference victories, a school record, and finished with 21 wins overall.

Mackey also spent a season at Daytona State College, where the Falcons posted a program-best 27 victories. The team claimed the Florida College System Activities Association Conference Championship and finished the season ranked No. 8 nationally, the highest final ranking in programme history.

His coaching career also included two seasons as a graduate assistant at Embry-Riddle. In his second year, the Eagles advanced to their first NCAA Division II National Tournament and finished with a 24-10 record and a Sweet 16 appearance.

Away from the collegiate ranks, Mackey continues to be involved with basketball in The Bahamas. The former senior men’s national team player was recently selected to the coaching staff for Team Bahamas as it prepares for games in the first round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers.

Before moving into coaching, Mackey enjoyed a standout playing career at Daytona State and Embry-Riddle from 2015 to 2019. He finished with 1,663 points and 1,319 rebounds during his collegiate career.

At Embry-Riddle, Mackey became the only player in programme history to complete his career averaging a double-double, posting 17.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He also earned consecutive Sunshine State Conference All-Conference honours.

During his time at Daytona State, he was named Mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year and received NJCAA All-American recognition.