Frank Haith Tabs David Deets as Director of Athletic Performance for Men’s Basketball
4/5/2017 11:17:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa head men's basketball coach Frank Haith announced on Wednesday that he has added David Deets as the program's Director of Athletic Performance.
This marks the second major addition to Haith's staff this week after he named Texas high school coaching legend and former Oklahoma State assistant Danny Henderson as an assistant coach on Monday.
Deets, who is a native of Newcastle, Okla., comes to Tulsa from Mississippi State, where he spent the last two years as the Director of Basketball Performance for head coach Ben Howland and the men's basketball team. With the Bulldogs, Deets designed and oversaw a half-million dollar renovation of the weight room with state-of-the-art equipment and technology to turn it into one of the top basketball performance centers in the nation.
He helped develop and transition a pair of newcomers from the prep level in Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016) and Lamar Peters (2017), who each landed on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team. Weatherspoon also went on to earn second-team SEC honors last season.
"With David, we've added one of the premier athletics performance coaches in the country," Haith said. "He is extremely well thought-of in the profession and we're grateful to be able to bring in someone of his caliber to our program. David is someone that I've kept an eye on through the years and I've watched him have a major impact with several high-level programs in the SEC and Big 12. I have no doubts that he will make that same impact with our student-athletes to help them maximize their physical potential."
Deets, who became a Master Strength Coach in 2013, is well-respected across the country for his innovative approach to strength and conditioning. He's been a featured speaker at national conferences and was one of just seven individuals worldwide to be part of Nike Basketball's SPARQ program, which develops testing measures for basketball.
Prior to his time in Starkville, Miss., Deets spent a year as the director of rehab and strength and conditioning for the Tuttle Public School District near Oklahoma City. Before that, he spent three seasons at Arkansas and helped design a new weight room. He was instrumental in the development of JaCorey Williams, Moses Kingsley and Bobby Portis, who was named 2015 SEC Player of the Year.
He also spent five seasons with Razorbacks head coach Mike Anderson at Missouri, where he helped with the renovations of the Sally O. Nichols Weight Room, while he also mentored four National Strength and Conditioning All-Americans. Deets' off-season regimen with the Tigers, which included current Tulsa assistant coach Kim English, was key in Missouri's three NCAA Tournament runs and Big 12 Tournament title in 2009.
Upon graduating from Northeastern State in 2000, Deets was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State. After a year with the Cowboys, he was named the head strength and conditioning coach at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. There he oversaw all aspects of the strength training program for the school's 14 intercollegiate sports. Deets then made stops at TCU and Oklahoma State before landing at Missouri with Coach Anderson prior to the 2006-07 season.
Deets earned a degree in health and human performance from Northeastern State. He has two daughters, Emery and Violet.
This marks the second major addition to Haith's staff this week after he named Texas high school coaching legend and former Oklahoma State assistant Danny Henderson as an assistant coach on Monday.
Deets, who is a native of Newcastle, Okla., comes to Tulsa from Mississippi State, where he spent the last two years as the Director of Basketball Performance for head coach Ben Howland and the men's basketball team. With the Bulldogs, Deets designed and oversaw a half-million dollar renovation of the weight room with state-of-the-art equipment and technology to turn it into one of the top basketball performance centers in the nation.
He helped develop and transition a pair of newcomers from the prep level in Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016) and Lamar Peters (2017), who each landed on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team. Weatherspoon also went on to earn second-team SEC honors last season.
"With David, we've added one of the premier athletics performance coaches in the country," Haith said. "He is extremely well thought-of in the profession and we're grateful to be able to bring in someone of his caliber to our program. David is someone that I've kept an eye on through the years and I've watched him have a major impact with several high-level programs in the SEC and Big 12. I have no doubts that he will make that same impact with our student-athletes to help them maximize their physical potential."
Deets, who became a Master Strength Coach in 2013, is well-respected across the country for his innovative approach to strength and conditioning. He's been a featured speaker at national conferences and was one of just seven individuals worldwide to be part of Nike Basketball's SPARQ program, which develops testing measures for basketball.
Prior to his time in Starkville, Miss., Deets spent a year as the director of rehab and strength and conditioning for the Tuttle Public School District near Oklahoma City. Before that, he spent three seasons at Arkansas and helped design a new weight room. He was instrumental in the development of JaCorey Williams, Moses Kingsley and Bobby Portis, who was named 2015 SEC Player of the Year.
He also spent five seasons with Razorbacks head coach Mike Anderson at Missouri, where he helped with the renovations of the Sally O. Nichols Weight Room, while he also mentored four National Strength and Conditioning All-Americans. Deets' off-season regimen with the Tigers, which included current Tulsa assistant coach Kim English, was key in Missouri's three NCAA Tournament runs and Big 12 Tournament title in 2009.
Upon graduating from Northeastern State in 2000, Deets was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State. After a year with the Cowboys, he was named the head strength and conditioning coach at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. There he oversaw all aspects of the strength training program for the school's 14 intercollegiate sports. Deets then made stops at TCU and Oklahoma State before landing at Missouri with Coach Anderson prior to the 2006-07 season.
Deets earned a degree in health and human performance from Northeastern State. He has two daughters, Emery and Violet.
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