David A. Hobbs (born April 25, 1949) is a former American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach. Hobbs previously served as a special assistant to Iowa State's head coach Steve Prohm. He was the men's head coach at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

from 1992 to 1998 and also was an assistant coach at Alabama, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

and

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

(VCU).

Early years

Hobbs was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He lettered his junior and senior seasons (1970–71) at

(VCU), where he earned a bachelor's degree in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

(1972) after spending his first two seasons playing at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

's Ferrum Junior College.

Coaching career

Throughout his career, Hobbs has coached teams to more than 400 victories and 18 postseason tournament appearances, including 16 in the NCAA tournament. His coaching career began in the prep ranks at

Mechanicsville High School Mechanicsville High School (formerly Lee-Davis High School) is a public high school located in Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is part of Hanover County Public Schools. History Mechanicsvill ...

Mechanicsville, Virginia Mechanicsville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. The population was 36,348 during the 2010 census, up from 30,464 at the 2000 census. History The area was settled by Englis ...

for eight seasons, the last three as head coach.

Virginia Commonwealth

His first job in college coaching came at Virginia Commonwealth, where he served as an assistant coach with

Tubby Smith Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951) is an American college basketball coach. He was the men's basketball coach at High Point University, his alma mater. Smith previously served in the same role at the University of Tulsa, the Univer ...

on J. D. Barnett's staff. Hobbs spent six years (1980–85) coaching on the Rams' staff.

Alabama

Hobbs was hired at Alabama as an assistant coach for

Wimp Sanderson Winfrey "Wimp" Sanderson (born August 8, 1937) is a retired American college basketball coach. He coached at the University of Alabama from 1981 to 1992 and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from 1994 to 1999. Sanderson was born in Flore ...

in 1985 and spent the next seven years at that position, helping the Crimson Tide win one SEC Championship and four SEC Tournament crowns while the Tide made four appearances in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. As an assistant, he had the opportunity to coach such All-SEC performers as

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry (; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any pla ...

, James "Hollywood" Robinson and

Latrell Sprewell Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...

. When Sanderson left Alabama following the 1992 season, Hobbs was named head coach. In his first season, the Tide finished 16–13 and advanced to the NIT. In 1994 and 1995, Alabama recorded 20-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament behind the play of NBA All-Star Antonio McDyess. In 1996, Hobbs led UA to a 19–13 mark and a berth in the NIT Final Four. He resigned his post following the 1998 season after compiling a 110–76 (59.4%) career record and producing nine All-SEC players.

Kentucky

David Hobbs joined the UK staff in 2000 and served seven years as an assistant coach under

, including five as assistant head coach. He was not retained by the university when Smith left in 2007.

After departure from Kentucky

After leaving Kentucky, Hobbs was a scout for the NBA's

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

for two years, followed by a short stint as coach of Japan's national basketball team. He was terminated from that job after being on medical leave.

Family

Hobbs is married to Barbara "Skeet" Fleet Hobbs and they have two grown children, Heather and David, Jr.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

Iowa State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, David 1949 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball coaches American expatriate basketball people in Japan American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Virginia Basketball players from Virginia College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Ferrum Panthers men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in the United States Japan national basketball team coaches Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches Sportspeople from Lynchburg, Virginia VCU Rams men's basketball coaches VCU Rams men's basketball players