Daniel Mondragon begins his second season as the Davis & Elkins men’s basketball coach in 2020-21. He was named the 30th head coach in program history on September 17, 2019.
The Senators just missed out on a spot in the MEC Tournament in 2019-20, staying alive until the final day of the regular season in the team’s first year in the league. D&E recorded eight victories and senior Donte Doleman picked up All-MEC Honorable Mention accolades after leading the squad with 17.9 points/game. The Senators picked up their first conference victory in the Mountain East in grand fashion, dispatching Fairmont State, 81-78, in an exciting road contest.
Mondragon brings a wealth of basketball experience with him, including time as a former collegiate basketball player, program director, assistant coach and head coach at various levels. He will lead the Davis & Elkins basketball program into its first season as a member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) in 2019-20.
He arrives in Elkins after spending the past four seasons as the head coach for the elite DME Sports Academy and director of player development. Mondragon recruited both high school and post-graduate student-athletes for the athletic-based sports training academy located in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In addition to his duties as the head coach at DME Academy, Mondragon served as a basketball trainer and elite youth training program director from 2015-19. He managed the operations, budget, scheduling and day-to-day operations of 11 youth teams. Mondragon also played a pivotal role in leading individual and group workouts, including organizing National Basketball Association (NBA) pre-draft workouts for several players during his time at DME.
Prior to his time at DME, Mondragon worked as an assistant coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) from 2013 to 2016, helping to guide his alma mater to a conference championship and 35-2 record in 2014-15 during the institution’s final year as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He dealt with nearly ever facet of the ERAU men’s basketball program as an assistant, ranging from recruiting, game planning, scouting, film study, planning workouts, directing summer camp and coordinating travel.
Mondragon also played his collegiate basketball for the Eagles from 2009-13. He became the first individual in program history, earning team captain selection as a walk-on. He was a member of three Sun Conference championships and an NAIA Tournament appearance in 2013. A two-year team captain, he averaged 9.0 points/game and 4.9 assists/game as a senior. The Eagles notched an impressive 102-34 (.750) mark over his career.
He graduated from Embry-Riddle in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in human factors psychology and added his master’s degree in leadership from ERAU.
