Nathan West is joining the Darlington Community as head boys’ basketball coach and assistant athletic director. A native of Anniston, Alabama, West has over nine years of coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate level, and replaces Bradley Pierson (‘05), whose family is relocating to Tennessee for his wife's job.
“I am thrilled that Nathan will be our next varsity boys’ basketball coach and assistant athletic director,” said Eddie Guth, director of athletics. “He is smart, charismatic, and a very hard worker. We look forward to his leadership, positive attitude, and delightful spirit. We warmly welcome he and his family to the Darlington Community.”
West holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas. At the collegiate level, West played a year at Marion Military Institute before transferring, and finishing, his next three years at Birmingham Southern College where he was a co-captain and his team won a conference championship in 2010.
West took his athleticism into his career as he served first as an assistant basketball coach for Saks High School in Anniston, Alabama, and then Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama. He then took a role at the collegiate level as assistant men’s basketball coach and head varsity reserve coach at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He comes to Darlington from Franklin County High School in Eastpoint, Florida where he has served as head boys’ basketball coach and assistant principal for the past two years.
During his first season at FCHS, West guided his team to finish as district runner-ups and an appearance in the Elite 8, the first time in school history to host a regional championship. This past season, the team finished as district champions, region champions, and made a Final Four appearance, all firsts for the program in over a decade.
“When I took over the program at Franklin County, they were coming off back to back district runner up finishes and were put out in the first round of the playoffs. My staff and I helped take Franklin County out of a decade of slumps, hosted an Elite 8, won two championships, and reached the Final Four,” said West. “None of which would have been possible if we did not have the support of the parents and community. Our kids bought in to the importance of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice. I enjoy our teams being put in tough situations against tough competition. It helps our team grow and build character which eventually will lead to success in the postseason.”
West has big plans for the student-athletes at Darlington, from creating a culture of winning both on the court and in the classroom to becoming proud alumni of the school.
“I will teach the students to dream big every day,” he said. “I want our program to be a top-ranked program in the state and our want our graduates to come back and see the winning tradition continue. It starts with the relentless pursuit of excellence by the people at the top and I will bring energy, enthusiasm, and attention to detail every single day.”
West and his wife Lindsay have two children, Ridley (six months) and Sawyer (4).
