MONTICELLO, Ark. – Today (April 19) Arkansas-Monticello’s Director of Athletics Hud Jackson announced the hiring of David Midlick as the new head women’s basketball coach. Midlick will lead Monticello’s program after coaching at both NCAA Division I and Division II levels.
“We are extremely happy about our new Women’s Basketball Coach David Midlick.” said Jackson. “David brings a ton of experience as a player and a coach. He has been a part of and has led several programs to championship levels. We feel like we have hired an outstanding coach but more importantly, an outstanding person. He is a family man that looks at his teams as part of his own. He will bring an attitude of hard work on the court and off. He will demand that his players represent our University in a positive light. David is great fit for UAM and a great fit for our Athletic Department family. Help us to welcome David and Leslie to Monticello and the Southeast Arkansas region! Go Blossoms!”
David Midlick most recently served as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Southeastern Missouri (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
His coaching experience also includes serving as Head Coach of the Austin Peay University Women’s Basketball team (where he first served as a volunteer assistant for Austin Peay Men’s Basketball from 2003 through 2006 to start his college coaching career). He led the Governors to 18 regular season wins in 2019-20, which is the most regular-season wins in program history since the 2003-04 team won 20 regular-season games.
Midlick’s Governors broke the Austin Peay single-season team three-point record twice. The 2019-20 squad buried a program record 267 three pointers, which led the OVC and ranked 14th nationally.
Prior to leading Austin Peay, he served as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Memphis and the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. He led the Lady Statesmen to consecutive Gulf South Conference regular season championships and two NCAA Division II South Region appearances that included a Sweet 16 appearance.
He also was an assistant coach at Tennessee State from 2006 through 2010, where he coached posts and forwards, along with performing scouting, recruiting, eligibility, admission, and scheduling duties. While at Tennessee State, Midlick helped engineer a turnaround for the program, helping the Tigers go from a win-less squad to OVC contenders.
He has also coached at the high school level and was a physical therapist before he pivoted to the basketball coaching profession.
“I want to thank Dr. Doss, Coach Jackson, and the search committee for this opportunity and with trusting me with the UAM WBB program.” said Midlick. “I want our fans to be proud of the team in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. I am looking forward to this journey with a great group of student athletes.”
He graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science in 1991 and earned his Bachelor’s in Physical Therapy from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1994.
As a player, he was a three-year letter winner at Ole Miss under head coach Ed Murphy from 1988-91. The Rebels played in the NIT in 1989, with Midlick leading the team in free-throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage, and were Southeastern Conference tournament finalists in 1990.
He is a native Memphian, growing up in Memphis, Tennessee and graduating from Christian Brothers High School. His family consists of his wife Leslie and their two boys, Will and David Jr.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Midlick as the new head coach for the UAM women’s basketball program.” said UAM Chancellor, Dr. Peggy Doss. “His leadership style, coaching and recruiting ability, and commitment to excellence on and off the court make him a perfect fit to lead a strong and competitive program.”